


Dreams

by Squid789



Category: Elder Scrolls, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, I've scrapped pretty much the entirety of the game, Major canon divergence, No Dovahkiin | Dragonborn, Slow Build, Slow Burn, The Great War (Elder Scrolls), ill add more as i continue, young dumb teenagers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:41:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 49,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28303245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Squid789/pseuds/Squid789
Summary: The effects of war are far reaching and devastating. People lose many things. Valleri Hayn has yet to lose anything she holds dear. But life finds a way and so will she.Takes place between the end of the Great War and the official start of Skyrim. For those of you who are familiar with rest of muy work, you don't have to read A Land Of Snow to know what's going on!
Relationships: Vilkas/OC
Comments: 26
Kudos: 16





	1. Prologue: Safe and Healthy

**4E 191 Rain’s Hand**

Uriel learned quickly that war takes more than you’d expect. Even sixteen years on, the man would relive flashes of the war. Images of the fires along Lake Rumare as the Dominion took the capital and the sounds of men writhing in the mud, bits and pieces missing from them, only reminded him of how close he was to losing everything. Maybe it wasn’t time for him to lose everything he held dear back then. Maybe that time was coming closer and closer. 

In the chaos of the Great War, he did what he thought was right. Then Uriel ran. He took his family and ran. The gods could throw him in Oblivion for all he cared. Uriel wasn’t losing anything.

And after sixteen years, he still hadn’t lost anything. His family was safe and healthy in Anvil. For the time being they weren’t being hunted for the things he refused to do during the war. 

They were safe and healthy.

Those words were a mantra he repeated every morning he woke up. This particular morning was like every other; Uriel arose from his bed groggily, planted his feet on the floor, and whispered quietly to himself, “My family is safe and healthy.”

When he was finished, the man turned to the figure still curled up in the sheets next to him. He brushed his wife’s long hair and kissed her cheek. The woman, still half asleep, mumbled and pulled more of the blanket over her head. Uriel didn’t pester her further. It was barely light outside and even he didn’t have to rise this early. By now though, getting up with the sun was just a habit.

When Uriel was finished donning his captain’s uniform, he slipped from the room and crept downstairs as quietly as he could. Again out of habit, he paused at the end of the hall and peered into his wife’s greenhouse. The glass walled room was filled to the brim with flowering, verdant plants. Condensation from the night before dripped downwards and into the planters. 

The man smiled when he caught sight of a young boy with curly red locks not too unlike his finally noticed him lingering in the doorway. Marco -- as he asked to be called recently-- gave him a nod before watering a nearby plant.

“I thought your mother wanted to water the plants?” Uriel muttered. He watched Marco put down the watering can he was using. 

“No. Some of these are mine. I wanted to take care of them myself.”

“I see.” Uriel paused, taking another look at the room around him. “Is your sister still asleep?”

“She wasn’t in her room when I got up earlier,” Marco muttered. The boy pushed past his father and into the hallway. Uriel clicked his tongue. There was nothing left to do but follow him. 

“I didn’t think she’d get up this early.”

Marco didn’t answer. Uriel watched him disappear into the kitchen. His wife would make breakfast for everyone later that morning, but not until the sun was actually up. Until then, the man would go around town on patrol. He’d been guard captain for almost ten years now and patrolling the city streets was no longer something he had to do. Uriel went on patrol anyways. There was still something comforting about the job that put Uriel’s mind at ease. 

The seaside city of Anvil had been through Oblivion and back since the beginning of the Great War. Citizens fled when the Count couldn’t hold the city even with the aid of the Legion. The Aldmeri sacked it and left when the war was over. By then there was nothing left for those looking for their homes. It took years to build the city up to even half of its former glory.

And Uriel was proud to have helped Anvil grow. It was his wife’s home and now it was his home too. 

For the time being, guard captain Uriel Hayn took the morning patrols and greeted as many people as he could. Not all of their faces were smiling and happy. Constant happiness isn’t how life worked. But for now the city of Anvil was safe. 

His patrol always ended at Castle Anvil outside of the city gates. He had a small office in the guard barracks. It was there that he would schedule the rest of the partols and review what had happened throughout the day. People filtered in and out of his office all day long with requests and reports. 

One of the newer guards placed a piece of parchment in front of Uriel. The older man arched an eyebrow questioningly. The guardsman shook his head, “It’s a request for leave. My ma’s sick again. Gotta go check up on her.”

“How many days off is that this month?”

“Three full days, sir.”

“I hope it's not serious. You might want to take someone to see her.”

The guardsman chuckled, “If I do that, I’ll have to ask for more time off.” The man paused, shooting Uriel a grin. “I bet you never have to worry about asking for leave!”

“Because I’m the captain?”  
  
“No, because you’re brother in law’s the Count.” 

Uriel’s heart sank. He tried to force a smile as he responded, “Not at all. My wife isn’t related to Count Umbranox in any way. It's just coincidence she has the same name as the late Lady of Anvil.”

“Yeah, sure, Captain. That’s what you gotta say.” The guardsman said nothing further and left. Uriel sighed the parchment the man left on his desk. He sighed and rubbed his temples with frustration; it wasn’t as though the young guardsman was wrong. 

Uriel tried not to let the comment bother him and by the time he was ready to return home, he had forgotten all about it. The front door was wide open when he returned as it usually was. His wife always had it open on warm days to let a breeze flow through the house. 

His eyebrows furrowed as he called out, “Ulia? Where are you?”

A familiar, bell-like voice came from the back and Uriel couldn’t help but smile. He marched to the back work room where Ulia kept her alchemy supplies. His wife was sitting at the far window, crushing a sweet smelling plant with a mortar and pestle. She glanced up and smiled when she heard him, soft brown eyes regarding him warmly. Slowly she turned back to what she was doing as she spoke. “You’re back a little earlier than usual.”

“I am,’ Uriel muttered. He hugged Ulia’s shoulders from behind and in an instant everything melted. The woman only laughed. “What is this for?”

“One of our neighbors asked for a salve.”

“I see.” Uriel said nothing more and watched his wife work her magic. Ulia was gifted with plants and after years of working with them, she could grow nearly everything. Uriel understood very little of what she was trying to do but he still enjoyed watching her. “Hey we need to talk about my trip,” the man whispered quietly as he propped an elbow on the workbench.

Ulia’s eyes and hands didn’t move from her work as she answered, “That we do. I think you’re right.”

“About Valleri?”

Ulia rolled her eyes with faux exasperation. Uriel knew she would relent eventually. “Yes, about Valleri. You were right; she is old enough to go. I don’t like it, but that girl will go off on her own eventually whether we like it or not. It's best we prepare her as best we can.”

“She’ll be ecstatic. Valleri’s at the docks, right?”

“Yes, she’s been over that way all day,” Ulia sighed. Uriel was well aware of his wife’s frustration with their daughter’s wayward tendencies. But there was nothing they could really do about it. 

Uriel gave Ulia a light kiss on the top of her head before leaving the house. He didn’t have to walk very far down the street before spotting a familiar wavy haired figure carrying a basket coming towards him. In a matter of seconds, the figure waved madly at him. 

He couldn’t help the wide grin on his face when Valleri nearly ran into him. The girl was covered in sand and sticks and dried weeds, but the look of triumph on her face told him she had done nothing that wasn’t worth it. Uriel gestured to the basket slung over her shoulder; “What did you end up finding today?”

Lights lit up in Valleri’s eyes as she pulled out old bits of pottery. “Relics! I think they’re from the elves.” She excitedly pointed out a flowery flowing script that covered the bits of ceramics, pointing out each character. “See? Like right there! I’m gonna learn how to read it.”

“You can certainly try, but that doesn’t look like any Elvish I can read. It might take you awhile.”

“Watch me then,” Valleri dared, voice sharper than before.

“I definitely will,” Uriel pestered. Valleri placed her loose bits of pottery back in her basket and followed along with her father back down the street. The two of them watched Marco in the distance delivering the salve Ulia finished working on to one of their neighbors before messing with a seagull. Valleri paused when she noticed the seagull wasn’t going to stand for Marco’s taunting and promptly started to chase her brother back to the house. 

The girl shook her head with a blank expression, “He’s never going to get it.”

“What? The birds?”

Valleri tilted her head with a lopsided smile. “Yeah. Marco can try to befriend the birds as much as possible but they’re not going to like him any time soon.”

Uriel crossed his arms, “Who knows? Maybe if he holds out long enough, they will like him.” His daughter didn’t respond. Uriel stole a glance at her. Valleri was busy staring forwards, mind obviously focused on something else. “Hey, Valleri, there was something I actually needed to tell you.”

Immediately, she looked up to him with a look of fear. “Is it about me skipping my work at the chapel?”

“What? No. I had no idea you were skipping out on that. You probably shouldn’t let your mother know.”

The grimace on Valleri’s face deepened. “Too late.”

Uriel sighed. “Well, in any case, it wasn’t about what you’re not doing in your free time. It was about my trip.” The man paused and looked back to Valleri. The grimace on her face was now replaced with an expression of absolute attention. “I was able to convince your mother to let me take you with you.”

“This isn’t a bad joke, is it?”

The man shook his head, “No joke at all. We just think it's time you start getting out there a little bit.”

He watched as the grin on Valleri’s grew before she ran into the house, yelling her brother’s name all the while. In a moment, Uriel saw Ulia duck out of the back workroom, surprised at the sudden yells that filled the house. The woman caught sight of Uriel standing in the front door and her eyes went wide. “You told her?”

Uriel laughed. “Someone had to!”

Ulia shook her head with exasperation before disappearing further into the house. With a contented sigh, Uriel followed after her. With each step, his mantra echoed in his mind.

For now his family was safe and healthy.

…

Ysra leaned against the window looking out of her small cottage and into the woods that surrounded her, trying no to focus on the icky feelings of trepidation that swirled around her mind. Instead she tried to focus on the view outside of the window. New spring growth was finally coming in on the plants. The greens broke up the monotonous grey that came with winter break up. But even then, the new leaves seemed tainted. As though she left something out to rot. 

She bit her lip as her eyes fell on the young man packing a bag in front of her. His choppy black hair nearly rivaled her own mane. The two of them shared many traits, but after the last few summers, the young man now towered above her. She cursed his father for being a tall man. 

Turning from her post, Ysra tilted her head and narrowed her eyes. “You have everything there?”

Finally, the young man took a step back, lacing his arms behind his head with a sigh. In another moment, he let his arms down then turned to smile at Ysra. “It's not like I really need to take much anyways. They have normal housewares and such at Jorrvaskr. It's in Whiterun for gods’ sake.”

Ysra’s eyebrow twitched. “Yeah, I know. I’ve spent more time in Jorrvaskr than you have. I just don’t want you to leave anything important behind. We have no idea when you’ll be able to come back.”

“Mother,” the young man droned on, “I’m not going to be gone forever. Besides, Whiterun isn’t very far away.”

“Vilkas, you know what I mean.”

The young man shrugged. “I have to go out and do something eventually. Besides, I've done Companions work before.”

Ysra paused, narrowing her eyes. Her son was right. Vilkas was meant for something more than just this small cottage and the natural wonders Ysra was happy to surround herself with. She loved the twins dearly, but Vilkas was the clever one and it would be a shame not to let him go. 

With a sigh, she continued. “I just don’t think being a Companion is something you’re meant to do.”

Vilkas sighed. They’d had this conversation many times before and it always ended the same way. He was about to speak when Ysra started to talk unexpectedly. “Yes, I know you’ve been working towards this for years now. Yes, I know each and every story Kodlak told you when you were growing up made you want to be a part of them. You’ve told me that over and over again, Vilkas. There is no need to tell me once again.”

“Exactly.”

Ysra sighed with a grimace. “It's just I’m worried what happened to your father will--”

“Happen to me?” Vilkas finished. Ysra studied him for a moment; searching for anything that resembled the wayward, zealous nature of her husband. To Ysra’s relief there was little of that in Vilkas, and the thought settled her mind a little. Vilkas didn’t seem to notice and continued, “I’m not Jergen. I won’t fall for the same stuff he did.”

“Part of you is Jergen.”

“Yeah. You can say the same thing about Farkas and nothing horrible’s happened to him yet.”

Ysra’s grimace deepened, “Don’t say that, Vilkas. You and your brother are two completely different people. You two barely look like each other anymore.”

Finally a smile came to Vilkas’ face, easing a bit of his mother’s worries. “I don’t think whatever I’m going to do with my life is ever gonna make you happy and you’ll have to live with it.”

“I know, I know,” Ysra chided, rolling her eyes. She followed Vilkas out to the front of the house and the both of them were content to watch the dirt path leading to the cottage. The path was left mostly unused since very few people visited, but that was one of the many reasons Ysra lived outside of town. 

After a minute or two of waiting, Ysra noticed Vilkas perk up. “Kodlak’s here.”

“I can see that,” the woman muttered as she finally caught sight of an older man coming towards the cottage. He waved at the two of them warmly and Vilaks went to meet him. Ysra made no hurry to follow them, making doubly sure she was anything but welcoming. 

The newcomer tried to give her a grin as he spoke, “Good afternoon, ma’am.”

“We’ve known each other over twenty years, Kodlak Whitemane. Don’t think for a second flattery is going to let you off the hook.”

“I figured, Ysra. I figured.” Kodlak turned his attention front the glum woman back to Vilkas. “Glad you’re finally able to join us permanently. Maybe this will get Farkas out of his slump.”

“Slump?”

“Yeah, the lad’s been down a bit. He said doing jobs aren’t quite the same anymore. In any case, we should be off if we want to make it back to town before sundown.” 

The two of men were already walking away when Ysra spoke up for a final time. “Hey, Kodlak!”

The older man turned around and yelled, “Yeah?”

“You let my boy get stabbed in the kidneys or something and I’ll skin you alive. I’ve already lost a husband and I don’t want to lose anyone else!”

She heard Vilkas groan as he rubbed his forehead in exasperation. Kodlak only bellowed out a hearty laugh, “I wouldn’t dream of it, Ysra!”

The woman crossed her arms and watched the two of them disappear down the path leading back to the main road. She knew it would take them a few hours to reach Whiterun, but after that Vilkas would be safe for a little while before he went out into the world to do what he set out to do. Ysra knew for a long time coming she wouldn’t be able to stop him from doing that. The only thing she could do now was make peace with it.

By now, Ysra let out one last sigh and went back inside to ward off the oncoming chill that came with the evening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi again! I know its been a while but I'm back for the time being. I feel like i should explain somethings real quick. For those of you who haven't read A Land Of Snow, feel free to skip this.
> 
> For those of you have, this story is sort of adjacent to the original Valleri Alastarim story. I had this AU stuck in my head since the 2019 summer and had much of the plot drafted in my head and was writing snippets like crazy. Compared to the ALOS sequel idea I was playing with, this felt much more developed. I talked it over with some friends and ultimately decided I needed to tell this story.
> 
> This doesn't mean I've completely given up on the original ALOS story thread. I'll try to write a little for that. But this is where I'll be focused. I look forward to hearing your feedback!
> 
> Happy reading and have a good winter holiday!
> 
> \-- Squid


	2. Chapter One: Stars

**4E 191 Second Seed**

Valleri scrunched her nose as she unraveled the map her father handed back to her only moments. The parchment was old and dry, crinkling satisfactorily in her hands as she unraveled it. The moment she stared at the front she realized why it had been so damaged.

“Hey dad?”

“Yeah, Val?”   


“How long have you had this thing? There’s a massive brown stain covering most of the bottom half.”   


Uriel stopped in his tracks and turned around, face twisted in confusion. He backtracked to Valleri and waited for the girl to flip the front of the map towards him. With a sigh, he rubbed his temples. “I brought the wrong map,” Uriel muttered under his breath.

“Wrong map?”   


“Yeah,” Uriel inhaled sharply before taking the map from Valleri. “I got an updated one before we left Anvil, but I must have mixed them up.” He cursed quietly to himself as he handed the map back to Valleri. She pretended not to hear it and went to sit down on a nearby rock. 

“What’s even on here?” Valleri asked. She brought the parchment close to her nose to see if she could smell what it was. All she could discern was the familiar scent of aged paper. 

Her father narrowed his eyes trying to remember. In an instant they went wide and he spun on his heel to face her. “Oh! It was cake batter from years and years ago. I had it open in the kitchen and your mother accidentally knocked her bowl over.”

Valleri arched an eyebrow before looking back over the map. The area from the Skyrim Cyrodiil border was covered with the cake batter stain and any of the roads would have led them to civilization were near impossible to make out. 

“Hey dad?”   


“Mmm hmm?”   


Valleri squinted as she looked closer at the map, “What are these black markers on here? Did you and mum put those on here?”   


Uriel didn’t move as he continued to look at the road ahead of them. “You gotta be more specific, Val.”   


“There’s one all the way next to Markarth and another all the way in the middle of nowhere way up north.”

Finally, Valleri looked up to Uriel and waited. It took him another moment before he understood what she meant. “Oh that’s where some of my men ended up settling after I had to dissolve the knighthood.” He turned around to face her, “I wouldn’t worry about it too much.”

Valleri sighed, “If you say so.” Her eyes moved from the map in her hands and back to the horizon in front of her. The sun was starting to set over some distant mountains, silhouetting a few flying birds overhead. The two of them would have to set up camp soon. 

“What was the name of the city we were planning on staying at tonight?”   


“Oh, it was Whiterun. Why?”   


Narrowing her eyes, the girl looked back to the map in an attempt to find it. Disappointment filled her after a cursory glance. Wherever the city was, Whiterun was now a part of the cake batter stain. “No and I can’t find the road leading to it is either.”   


“Cake batter?”   


“Cake batter. When was the last time you came up this way?”

Uriel sat next to his daughter on the rock, gently taking the map from her. With a sigh, he spoke again, “Almost ten years ago when Wallace moved up to Solstheim. I haven’t been up this way since.”   


An apprehensive grin grew on Valleri’s face as she looked over to her father. “You have no idea where we’re actually going.”   


“Nope, I know the general direction of Windhelm, where the boat is. I just don’t know which road actually leads to Whiterun.” Uriel shook his when Valleri started laughing nervously, “It's probably too late to make it there anyways. We’ll have to camp out again.”

Valleri tried to smile despite the slight pang of disappointment she felt. She and Uriel had been on the road for almost four weeks and even then they still had a ways to go before they reached Solstheim. The girl was beginning to get tired of the constant camping. But then again, Valleri did ask to come on this trip. Wordlessly, she followed Uriel off the main road and to a patch of clear ground where they would set up camp. 

Uriel hummed to himself as he started the fire. Valleri was content to set out the bedrolls before pulling the map out again. “You know, maybe we passed the road earlier,” Valleri said half to herself. 

“No, I don’t think Whiterun is this far south,” Uriel brushed off with a dismissive hand wave. 

“Maybe we walked farther than we realized?”

Again Uriel sighed and looked down to the flames. “I’ll ask the next traveler we meet on the road about what Whiterun is.”   


“Five septims that we passed it already,” Valleri taunted. She glanced at her father with a scheming expression as she waited for an answer.

“Are you putting forth a bet, Valleri Hayn?” Uriel asked. Valleri hummed affirmatively in response. His eyebrows arched with interest as he mulled over Valleri’s offer. “What makes you think you’re going to win?”

“Gut feeling.”

“That’s not much to go on, but your gut is usually right. You’re on,” Uriel announced, holding his hand out for a shake. Valleri took a hold of it tightly as they agreed to her bet. They didn’t speak much as the two of them sat around their fire and ate dinner. The sun was already far behind the horizon by the time Uriel climbed into his bedroll. For now Valleri was content enough to sit and watch the dying embers in the fire before retiring for the night. 

She breathed evenly in and out as she poked the ashes, watching sparks fly up into the air. Quietly, the girl hummed to herself. Without thinking she looked up to the trees above her and paused.

Past the branches and leaves were multitudes of bright stars. Splotches of browns and purples dotted the sky, creating a river of light Valleri hadn’t seen anywhere else. At least, it had never looked so magnificent before. Constellations were nearly impossible to make out in the vast field of light that now made up the night sky. Valleri nearly forgot to breathe as she stared. 

Finally, the girl pulled her eyes away and looked back to Uriel, “Hey, dad…” She waited for an answer, only to be met with silence as her father drifted further into sleep. Valleri grimaced for a moment before looking back to the sky once again entranced in its wonder.

The longer Valleri watched the stars, the smaller she felt. The world was so vast and all of a sudden the girl realized she only took up so much space in it. The sky was everywhere at once while Valleri had to travel for days to get anywhere.

Valleri exhaled, finally feeling the night time chill.

Then another thought came. 

If the sky was so big, someone out there had to be watching the same beautiful river of light as she was. 

…

Valleri woke up with a sharp point digging into her back through the bedroll. She wasn’t sure how long it had been there. It must have been there a few hours at least since her entire back was sore. 

Uirel was already folding up his own bed roll when she lifted herself up from the ground. He smiled when he noticed her, “How’d you sleep, Val?”   


The girl shot him a groggy glare before she spoke. “Fine. Absolutely fine.”

Her father could only laugh at her disgruntled attitude and moved onto making sure the embers left over from their fire were no longer smoldering. Valleri stretched her arms before not wasting any time getting packed up. By now, she didn’t take more than a minute to put away the bedroll and be ready for the next day’s walk. 

No words were said until they found the main road again. Valleri stopped at the edge of the tree line and breathed in deeply. The morning was still just a little cold and the chill seemed to wake her up more than anything. 

She turned to Uriel, “Hey, don’t forget about the bet. Next person we meet on the road.”   


“Yep, I know, Val.” Uriel chuckled to himself and muttered under his breath, “Although I don’t think you’ll let me forget.”

Valleri rolled her eyes before she started down the cobblestone road. Most of it was damaged and ill maintained, but the path itself was easy to follow. Every single road Valleri saw since crossing the border was the same. She could only assume that travel between the cities was not nearly as common as it was down south. Figuring out a reason why quickly became an interesting puzzle Valleri thought on while walking. 

She didn’t realize that Uriel wasn’t following behind her right away. Her father was standing in the middle of the road staring the way they came. Valleri’s brow furrowed as she called to him, “Dad?”

“One moment, Val.”

The girl stood in place, squinting her eyes to try to spot what had Uriel so transfixed. She moved a few paces closer and was finally able to see three figures in the distance coming towards them. Valleri took a sharp breath in, tensing up when the figures didn’t stop. “Who are they?”   


“No idea. They look armed though.”   


“Legionnaires?”

“No. Whoever they are, they aren’t wearing red. Besides, the Legion is spread too thin to send men up here.” Uriel ushered Valleri behind him. The girl watched as her father tensed. 

After another moment, she could make out the three newcomers with more detail. The closest one looked like an old man with a bushy white beard hanging down to his chest. He was flanked on either side by two younger men. To Valleri they looked alike enough to be brothers. Both of them shared the same raven black hair and broad shoulders. In any case, all three of them were wearing armor and obviously carrying weapons.

Uriel smiled widely and waved the trio down. Valleri could tell that for whatever reason, Uriel wasn’t worried enough to run. The older Nordic man smiled in return and spoke in a warm baritone voice, “Are you two in need of something?”   


“Yes, but nothing much. We were wondering how far it was to Whiterun.”   


The older man’s eyebrows raised as he considered the question. “We just came from there. Whiterun is about a day's walk southwards. You two were heading in the wrong direction.”   


Valleri smirked, “I told you.”

“I know, Val. I know,” her father whispered with a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose to stifle a laugh. 

“Was that where you needed to go?”

Uriel looked up again with a sheepish grin on his face, “Not really. My daughter and I were trying to find it yesterday so we wouldn’t have to camp out. But that’s what we ended up doing anyways.”

The old man was about to speak up once again before Valleri cut him off. “Windhelm. We were heading to Windhelm,” she stated, making no attempt to sound welcoming. Her eyes darted to Uriel next to her. She watched him continue to smile, less nervous than before. Valleri wasn’t sure what to think of the newcomers yet but at least one of them was comfortable enough to relax.

“Windhelm’s about a two days walk,” the old man mused half to himself. “We’re headed up to Winterhold ourselves. Windhelm’s on the way.” He turned to the shorter of the young men next to him and addressed him with a grin, “Vilkas, what would you think about joining these two until we get to Windhelm?”

The young man studied Valleri and Uriel for a second before speaking up. The hesitance -- or maybe it was disdain?-- in his voice was obvious. “We’re kind of in a hurry,” he said, eyes landing on Valleri. She made a point to stare back at him with the same level of haughtiness.

If the old man picked up on his friend’s tone, he didn’t show it. “Not too much of a hurry, though. Farkas?” The other young on his left didn’t say much of anything and only shrugged. But at least he wasn’t glaring. “My name is Kodlak Whitemane. I’m the Harbinger of the Companions,” the old man explained as he held out a hand to Uriel. 

The Imperial man didn’t hesitate, “I forgot about the Companions, honestly. I’m Uriel Hayn, and this is my daughter, Valleri. We’re on our way to Solstheim to visit some relatives.”

By now, the two adults in the group started to walk, leading the rest of them down the beaten up road leading to Windhelm. Valleri only listened in on Uriel and Kodlak’s conversation.

“Where are you two from?”

“Anvil on the Gold Coast.”

“I know of it. You must not get a chance to visit your relatives often considering that Anvil is across the Empire.”   


“You’re right. Last time I was here was almost a decade ago. This is the first time Valleri’s joined me too.”

“Do you travel often?”   


“My work in Anvil keeps me busy most of the time and my wife prefers that I stick close to home.”

Eventually Valleri drowned out Uriel’s conversation. She decided she didn;t have to worry about him saying something incriminating. The Imperial stole a glance above her at the sky. At least the weather was halfway decent. 

“Hey!”   


Valleri almost didn’t register the voice behind her before whoever was talking called out again.

“Hey!” 

This time Valleri turned around, groaning as she did so. Staring back at her were the two younger Companions. The shorter one’s eyebrows were furrowed as he tried to get her attention. The taller one on the other hand just looked at him sheepishly. 

Valleri stepped backwards as she spoke, “Yeah, what?”   


The shorter one paused for a moment, expression softening for only an instant. Any sign of annoyance on his face was gone. He took a moment to figure out how to articulate his thoughts and Valleri waited patiently. Finally the Nord spoke up, “You have a bunch of twigs in your hair. We weren’t sure if you knew or not.”

Running a hand through her hair, Valleri did learn that he was in fact right. With a grimace, Valleri answered, “I don’t really understand why it's all that important. But, thanks? I guess?” She turned around again and continued, this time pulling small twigs and leaves from her hair. 

“Your name is Valleri, right?”   


The young woman turned around again. The taller one was now grinning. Valleri assumed he was the one talking this time. “Yeah.” She paused for a second, narrowing her eyes in thought. Valleri gestured to her two companions, “Kodlak said you two were Vilkas and Farkas if I remember.” They both nodded. Valleri’s confidence rose and she smirked as she continued, “You two are brothers?”

Vilkas and Farkas exchanged an undecipherable glance. Again, Farkas answered, “Twins.”   


“Well, not that it really matters,” Vilkas continued. At this point he just looked bored. Valleri sighed and turned her attention to Farkas, who was at least attempting to be friendly.

“Which relatives live in Solstheim?”   


“Ones I’ve never--”   


Valleri took a distracted step backwards. As soon she placed her foot back on the ground, Valleri felt her heel slip against a rock jutting out of the ground. Her eyes went wide as the world spun around her for no more than a second.

Then she felt something hit the back of her head. Valleri almost didn’t hear the crack that went along with her head hitting the cobblestones. 

“Fuck!”

Valleri closed her eyes for a second as she laid on the ground. Her grimace deepened into a scowl when she lifted herself up, still sitting on the road. She turned to see Uriel turned around, wide eyes with shock. 

“Valleri? Are you okay?”

She narrowed her eyes for a second, placing her hand to the spot where she felt the rock jab into her head. “Yeah, I’m fine,” she muttered. Valleri felt something wet on her fingers and brought her hand back.

Vilkas sighed and held a hand out for her to grab onto. Not paying much attention, she grabbed onto him and hoisted herself up. “You sure you’re fine?” the young man asked curtly.

Valleri pulled her hand away. Only then did she notice the blood that covered her fingers. She could barely tear her eyes away to answer Vilkas.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

…

Everything seemed darker in Skyrim. Maybe it was because of the tall trees and mountains surrounding her on every side or that the sun went down earlier in the day. Valleri couldn't imagine how dark it got in the winter and how the locals dealt with the low light. 

She wasn’t going to ask any of her new traveling companions though. Valleri wasn’t in the mood talk after the day she had. Her back was still sore from the night before but at least her head wasn’t throbbing too much any longer. She’d have to wash the blood out of her hair when she made it to Windhelm the next day. 

For now, Valleri just had to keep going. The road was finally just starting to flatten out, making it a little easier for the young Imperial to keep her footing. In the back of her head, Valleri was sure she would trip again if she wasn’t careful.

“Valleri! Where’re you going?”

The girl turned her shoulder to see Uriel and Kodlak stopping by an old wooden house overgrown with weeds and vines. The house was set closer to the road with a mill adjacent to a river. The two men were busy looking over the house, talking amongst themselves.

“Is there someone living here?’

“No. This place has been abandoned for years. Travelers come and go every once in a while.”   


“Good place to spend the night I take it?”   


“Absolutely.”   


“At least we’re not camping another night.”

Valleri tuned the old men out as she made her way to the riverside. The water coursed past her threatening to take whoever fell in away permanently. Ice clung to the edges of the bank and Valleri was transfixed by the patterns of water flowing under the glass like top. 

She heard footsteps from behind her. Uriel’s smiling face met her when Valleri looked up. His voice was calm and even, “How’re you doing, Val?”   


“I dunno… I’m holding up,” Valleri mumbled with a huff.

Uriel ruffled his short cropped hair in exasperation before looking back to his daughter. “Bad day?”

“You tell me. I’m pretty sure I got a concussion.” Uriel didn’t respond as his eyes fell to the water. Valleri glanced at him from the side, “Hey, are you so sure we should be travelling with these guys? Before we left you kept telling me we had to keep a low profile.”

The man’s shoulders sunk for a moment as he mulled over his answer. Valleri waited patiently for his answer, watching the daylight disappear under the trees. “They,” Uriel started, “they don’t seem like a bad sort. Besides, we don’t have to tell them everything.” He looked back to his daughter, face twisted with concern. “You and Marco don’t have to live in complete isolation like I do. You don’t have to punish yourself for something I did years ago. Give these people a chance, Val.” 

Valleri furrowed her eyebrows as Uriel started walking back to the abandoned house. “Now, come on, we should probably go help them out.

The young woman said nothing as she followed him back to the house, mind empty. Kodlak already lit a fire in the hearth. Vilkas and Farkas were in a corner talking to each other and looking generally bored. Immediately, Uriel offered to make some food. This left Valleri to entertain herself as she waited. She found a chair in the corner and watched the room through a disinterested gaze. The evening passed by slowly but at least her father had someone new to talk to.

Valleri listened to their conversation halfheartedly. Most of it had to do with the Imperial Legion and after so many years of hearing about them, Valleri was over it. She stole a glance out of the window next to her. It was nearly pitch black outside. Without another thought, she crept along the back wall and left the house as inconspicuously as she could. 

She looked up to the sky as soon as she closed the door. The stars were just as bright as they were the night before, but she had trouble viewing them through the trees. Valleri looked around, eyes finally landing on the long abandoned mill on the river. She looked back through the windows before moving. Kodlak and Uriel were still distracted and probably wouldn’t miss her for a while .

The wood was freezing and Valleri felt a pang of regret as she sat down. Valleri clamped her eyes shut while she inhaled sharply. Soon she realized it would take more to get used to the sudden cold.

When acclimation seemed futile, Valleri opened her eyes again and looked back up to the sky. Her view was clear over the river, revealing more than she’d seen minutes before. Tonight, both Masser and Secunda were full, adding more bright lights to the sky.

Valleri didn’t sit long before she heard someone approaching from behind. She gave Vilkas a cursory glance as he sat down next to her.

“Here, take this,” he offered as he handed her a moth eaten blanket. 

Valleri tried to laugh him off as she took the blanket. “I might be from Cyrodiil, but I can handle a bit of cold.”

“You’re shivering, Imperial.” Pausing for a moment, Valleri rolled her eyes and relented. She pulled the blanket around her shoulders with a whispered thanks. Vilkas continued, “What were you out here for anyways?”

With a grimace, Valleri glanced over to the Nord next to her, “Promise you won’t laugh first.” Vilaks looked back at her with an arched brow. Valleri felt her stomach gurgle with anxiety before she opened her mouth to speak, “I came out here to watch the stars.” 

Before she finished, Vilkas was already looking away, obviously trying to stifle a chuckle.

Any glimmer of self assurance Valleri felt before Vilkas came to join her was gone. Valleri glared at the river in front of them. Her face was flushed as she tried to look anywhere but his general direction. “I shouldn’t have told you. That was a mistake.”

“No, no, no. Wait, no,” Vilkas stuttered with a grin. “I swear I didn’t mean to laugh. It was just a lot more innocent than I expected.” 

“Innocent?”   


“Yeah.” Vilkas paused, leaning back on the wooden planks of the mill. “I haven’t thought about looking at stars in years. I used to do it as a kid, but not so much anymore.”   


Valleri flopped onto her back next to Vilkas, eyes drifting back to the sky. “Neither do I. But compared to where I’m from, they’re so much more brilliant. I’d have to walk a few hours to get a view like this.”

Breathing out, Valleri grinned as she watched the sky. Vilkas seemed content enough to join her for a few moments and they laid together in easygoing silence.

“Hey,’ Valleri started, turning to look at her friend. He hummed in response but didn’t move. “How old are you and Farkas?”

“Eighteen. You?”   


“I turn seventeen in about two months.”

The both of them were left staring at each other, unsure of what to say. Without realizing it, Valleri found herself studying Vilkas’ face. Everything about him was symmetrical and straight. She followed every line only to end up to his eyes. They were bright silver in the starlight, surrounded by purple. Whether from stress or lack of sleep, Valleri wasn’t sure. She didn’t want to ask, lest she break the silence.

“Hey, you two!”   


The noise made Valleri jump up, eyes falling on the house behind them. Vilkas groaned as he sat up. Farkas was standing in the doorway, illuminated by the fire inside. Valleri heard Uriel and Kodlak’s complaints if she listened closely.

“Farkas, it's cold. You’re letting the warm air out. Close the door.”   


Farkas turned back with scowl, “Yeah, one moment.” He addressed Valleri and Vilkas again, “It's time to come in. Uriel wants to get up early in the morning.”

Valleri and Vilkas shared an exasperated glance before getting up from the floor of the mill. Stealing one last look at the stars, Valleri felt satisfied to return and sleep.

…

The next day was much easier. It still wasn’t a bed, but Valleri preferred sleeping on the level floor of the abandoned mill house than the forest floor by a long shot. Maybe she’d get used to camping in the middle of nowhere, but now wasn’t that time. At least her back wasn’t nearly as sore and her head wasn’t throbbing any longer. 

Same as the day before, Uriel and Kodlak were busy conversing amongst themselves to pay attention to what the other three were doing. 

Any tension between Vilkas and Valleri was gone after their talk the night before. They could talk to each other without any backhanded sarcasm or mutual disinterest. And that was enough for Valleri. 

“Hey, you never answered me,” Farkas started. He walked behind Valleri, watching her kick a stone down the road. “What relatives are you visiting.”

The Imperial sighed, unsure of what exactly to say. “They’re… They’re not really relatives.”

“Oh?”   


“He’s a family friend from when my dad was in the war. He’s got a son who's a little bit older than we are.”

Vilkas stared at the ground as he walked. “I think I can understand why he moved all the way across the Empire to Solsthiem.”   


Farkas turned to his brother, “Why?”

“He’s running away from something obviously.”

Valleri felt herself tense up. She tried not to look too guilty, attempting to smile and nod her head so she didn’t have to say anything. She felt the eyes of Vilaks and Farkas on her, making the sick feeling worse. Valleri took a deep breath in and faced them, “Aren’t they always running though?”

Vilkas shrugged in response. Valleri found she could breathe easier now that they had lost interest. 

“Valleri!”   


“Yeah?”   


She noticed Kodlak and Uriel stopped in the middle of the road. Once Valleri was at his side, he pointed to the distance. Not too far off in the distance was a city made of balck stone, covered in ice and snow. On the far side was the harbor filled with ships. 

“I thought Windhelm would have been bigger,” Valleri muttered half to herself.

Kodlak laughed at her comment before clapping hand against Uriel’s back. “This is where we take our leave, friend.”   


“Yes, thanks for helping us not get lost again. It's much appreciated.”

Valleri watched Kodlak inhale sharply then his expression softened. “If you two are ever in Whiterun, look us up at Jorrvaskr. We’ll make sure you’ve got a bed for the night.”   


“We’ll see about stopping by on our way back home. Safe travels.”

Before Valelri realized it, Ureil was already walking away in the direction of Windhelm. Valleri’s chest tightened as she stood in place, eyes darting from the Companions and back to her father. Pressured, Valleri found Vilkas’ gaze and gave him a curt nod before following Uriel.

A pit settled in her stomach as she walked wordlessly towards the city. She cursed herself she didn’t say goodbye. It was already too late and the nod would have to do.

Uriel gave his daughter a sideways glance, wearing a wistful grin. “We’ll probably see them again.”

Valleri tried to match his enthusiasm. Looking over her shoulder, she whispered half to herself, “I know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it feels like i'm starting the plot really early compared to ALOS, but theres a lot to get through and its just the beginning! any ways, I hope youre all hanging in there. 
> 
> Thank you for reading!!!


	3. Chapter Two: Ashes

**4E 191 Second Seed**

The boat ride from Windhelm to Solstheim didn’t take very long. Valleri quickly understood one of the reasons why Uriel wasn’t fond of traveling. As soon as they hit the open ocean, the older Imperial man was struck with sea sickness and had to spend most of his time below deck. Valleri on her part fared just fine and spent her days staring over the railing of the ship at the passing scenery

Valleri spent a good part of her childhood on boats, taking every chance to go sailing she could. It was fun, but Valleri eventually realized she would stick to solid ground most of her life. She wasn’t bothered in any case. But not getting seasick did make travelling a little easier. 

After two and half days at sea, they finally made it to Raven Rock, a small mining town on the southern part of the island. Valleri scrambled to find something to cover her nose and mouth. The ash was thick in the air and the Imperial felt like she would choke on it. 

Uriel gave her a slap on the back, kicking Valleri into a coughing fit. After a few seconds she was able to get the ash out of her lungs. With a grimace, Valleri resigned herself to her new reality.

There was a young man with a mask and goggles standing on the dock waiting for them. He waved widely at Uriel before removing his gear. Grey rings surrounded his eyes, leftover from the goggles. 

“Uriel Hayn?”

Valleri watched her father smile as he heard the man say his name. “That’s us, kid. Are you Wallace’s son?”

He answered as he helped Uriel and Valleri off the boat, “Yeah, I’m Leo. Wallace sent me since he’s still stuck at the cabin.”

“I see. That’s too bad.” Uriel paused, looking over his shoulder to Valleri. “Right. Leo, this is my daughter Valleri.”

“A pleasure,” Leo mused with a lopsided smirk. He took a hold of Valleri’s hands, shaking it harder than she expected. 

Valleri pulled back suddenly, staring at the stranger with wide eyes, “Right.” Leo stared at her for another second, making Valleri squirm under his scrutiny. At least her makeshift mask kept her scowl hidden. She turned to Uriel, “Shouldn't we get going?”

Much to her relief, Uriel perked up before going back to the ship. “I’ll be right back then we can leave. Leo, can you help me with the bags?”

“Sure thing,” the young man remarked before leaving Valleri alone on the dock. 

Curiosity got the better of the young woman and the next moment she found herself walking towards the shore. The wall separating the docks from the rest of the town -- was it actually big enough to be considered a town though? Valleri wasn't sure -- was thick with only a few small openings. Valleri peaked out to the main road to get a better look. The town was desolate with only a few people ambling about. Most of them were mingling about a large two story building, made up of curved, flowing lines. The Imperial had never seen anything quite like it before and couldn’t help but stare. 

One of the locals, a Dumner man with a receding hairline and a fraying orange coat, caught sight of her and glared. Valleri gulped nervously as she pushed herself closer to the wall.

“The Dunmer here don’t like being watched too much,” Leo explained. Valleri turned to see him standing over her shoulder. Under his arm was Valleri’s bag.

Valleri snatched the bag from him and slung it over her shoulder. “I’ll take that.”

“You sure?”

Leo was looking down at her with a stupid grin. Tired and annoyed, Valleri stared straight ahead. “Yeah. I carried it all the way from Anvil and I’m gonna carry all the way back too,” she insisted sharply. 

The young man held up his hands in defense, “I got it, I got it.” Valleri heard him inhale and look up and down the street. “So you like to keep yourself, I take it?”

Valleri’s eye twitched. “You tell me.”

With a laugh, Leo started off to the bulwark on the edge of town. Valleri sighed and waited for Uriel. “I don’t like him all that much,” Valleri mumbled as she looked back to him.

“Yeah, I can tell, Val,” Uriel replied. He gave her hair a light ruffle before moving to follow their guide. “But, remember what I said when we met those Companions? Give them time.”

Valleri rolled her eyes with a groan before going off to join Uriel and Leo. They were already past the bulwark by the time Valleri was able to catch up. With each step, Valleri’s feet sunk into the ash that blanketed the ground. She wordlessly stared at the back of Leo’s neck with confusion. How in the world could he live here? This ash was terrible.

Leo must have noticed her staring. He turned back to face her, ‘You’ll get used to the ash after a while. And there isn’t nearly as much of it at the cabin.”

“Wonderful,” Valleri said to herself.

Eventually, an ill-kept road appeared, leading the group north. The path was lined with strange rock formations Valleri had never seen before. Tall cylindrical stones were layered amongst each other, descending as they neared the road. But even those disappeared with ash. Small plants poked up from the ground, grey and grim. But they were plants and it made Valleri feel a little better.

It was a few hours before Valleri spotted the cabin. Calling it a cabin was a gross misstatement. Perched on a cliff, was a small shack surrounded by slushy snow. If she squinted, Valleri noticed a small fenced off area corralling meager vegetables. The roof and walls seemed old but strong and there was smoke rising from the chimney. 

All in all, it could have been worse.

Uriel spoke up first, “It looks almost the same as the last time I was here.”

“That’s what Wallace thought you would say. We had to get the back wall reinforced though and the root cellar is a bit bigger now.”

Uriel looked expectantly at Valleri behind him. The young woman shrugged with indifference. “Should we head in?”

“Yeah, it’s getting dark. I’ll get dinner going once we’re inside.”

Valleri still said nothing as she walked up some ice covered stairs leading up to the top of the cliff. She held on tight to a rickety piece of railing next to her, scared that if she let go she would fall all the way back to the bottom. At the top, Leo was already waiting at the door. He shot her a wink as he held the door open for her. Valleri scoffed to herself as she went in. 

It was warm and bright inside compared to the grey world outside of the door. The one room house was separated by a wooden panel, giving whoever was in the back some semblance of privacy. Around the walls were old hunting trophies and bits of old war paraphernalia. Valleri’s eyes were drawn to a helmet, full faced and flanked by metallic wings. 

“You’re late, Uriel,” a voice echoed from behind the partition. Valleri turned to see an older man come from behind using a pair of crutches to get around. 

A look of shock flashed over Uriel’s face but it was quickly replaced with one of utter glee. He strode up to the man and gave him a clap on the shoulder. “Wallace! It's good to see you, old friend.”

“I would have come to get you in Raven Rock if I didn’t have to use these bloody crutches.” Wallace nodded towards his son, who was shedding his outside gear. “Nice to know that Leo still recognized you after all these years.”

With a sigh, Uriel took a step back and looked over his old friend. “What even happened to you?”

“Do you mean my leg or in general?” Wallace laughed when Uriel shot him an exasperated look. “Once a knight commander, always a knight commander, huh? I got lazy and fell off a cliff a while back.”

Leo piped up from the back, “Lazy my ass. It was dark and you thought it’d be a good time to get a netch. I told him exactly what would happen. And now look!”

Uriel gave Wallace an questioningly smug glance as he waited for an answer. “Exactly what Leo said,” the older man mused as he ruffled Uriel’s short cropped hair. Uriel swatted the hand away and took one of the chairs by the hearth. Wallace continued, “So are you going to introduce me to your travelling companion?”

“I meant to do that a little earlier but I got distracted. This is Valleri. I believe I mentioned her in my letters before.”

“Ah, yes. I remember,” Wallace mumbled. He waved Valleri closer, “It's hard to see you clearly from all the way over there.”

Hesitantly, the girl moved over to the hearth, making sure to stay a good ways away from Wallace. The old man tilted his head as he studied her with precise scrutiny. Valleri felt her heart race uncomfortably as she looked back at him. 

Without any kind of warning, Wallace burst out laughing. Valleri and Uriel exchanged an awkward glance. “A fine looking girl, Commander. She looks just like Ulia.”

“I’m more than the sum of my parts,” Valleri stated, shooting Wallace an icy glare. 

“So you are. I remember a time before Uriel here was promoted to Knight Commander when he would yell the same exact thing to his superiors.”

The Imperial girl looked to her father for an answer. He only stared at the fire with downcast eyes. “It was… It was a long time ago, Val. Why don’t you go help Leo with dinner? I have some things I want to talk to Wallace about.”

“Yeah, sure,” Valleri whispered as she started towards the kitchen. She stole one last look over her shoulder and watched Uriel and Wallace went behind the partition. Leo was already busy chopping up a stange cut of meat. Valleri rolled up sleeves, “What can I do to help?”

Leo paused and regarded her with surprise. “Uh, yeah. There’s some ash yams in the cellar. Door’s behind you. Can you also get some cabbage while you’re at it? There should be a few jars left.”

Valleri knelt down and pried the cellar hatch open. She climbed down the ladder slowly. The image of the sad expression on Uriel’s face wouldn’t seem to leave her mind’s eye. Valleri was sorting through old jars when she heard Wallace and Uriel talking above her. 

“I saw you still have your old helmet.”

“I couldn’t bring myself to get rid of it. Even after all these years.”

“It seems as though you’re still holding onto the past rather tightly.”

“And you don’t?”

“Ulia and I have tried to do away with as much as we can. It’s been almost seventeen years since the war ended.”

“I know, Uriel.”

“Have you thought about what’ll happen to Leo?”

“Leo’s an adult. He knows he can leave any time. What he does with his life is up to him.”

“That’s all?”

Wallace breathed in deep. “That’s all I’m able to give to him. I haven’t had the same luck as you have.”

“It has nothing to do with luck.”

“If you say so. You said in a letter about ten years ago you had another daughter--”

“Son. Marco’s my son. He’s in Anvil with Ulia. He takes after her, especially with plants.”

“It sounds like things are good for you then. Uriel, there was something I noticed about Valleri.”

“Oh?”

“She has your eyes. And I don’t mean in the way that she looks like you. But something in the way she looks at things. It's like you in the old days. If she isn’t careful, Valleri’s going to bite off more than she can chew if you catch my meaning.”

“You’re being ridiculous, Wallace.”

“I’ve known you a long time.”

“And now you’re just being stubborn.”

“All of us were stubborn. How do you think we stuck with you for such a long time?”

Valleri’s eyes drifted to the dirt floor of the root cellar as she let Wallace’s words sink in. Suddenly the cellar seemed to close in on her. Before she knew it, Valleri’s stomach was twisting itself in knots. Wallace was wrong, she reassured herself. Wallace had known her all of twenty minutes and that wasn’t long enough to get to know a person.

“Hey, you finding everything okay?”

Shaking her head, Valleri turned back to the cellar hatch. Leo was looking in with that same stupid, self-assured girn.

“I forgot to hand you the lantern. A little light should help.”

Valleri said nothing as she took the lamp from Leo, lighting it before receding back into the cellar. This time she hurried grabbing the jars of ash yams and cabbage. She tried to forget the conversation she overheard as best she could and went to help Leo with dinner.

…

She hadn’t been in Solstheim more than a week before Valleri was tired of it. Being on the road was one thing, but staying in a small shack with three people was another. And the ash! No matter how much she tried to tuck in her trousers and buckle her boots as tight as she could, buckets of ash would find its way into Valleri’s boots and socks. There was plenty of sand in Anvil, but this was worse. Much, much worse. 

Her only solace were the near daily treks she made into the wilderness, looking for anything that might have been remotely interesting. 

On the fifth day, Valleri was heading north when she finally came across green grass. The young woman stopped in her tracks when she saw it, unable to pull her eyes away. After another second of staring, Valleri threw her arms up in the air, yelling, “Yes! Gods! Fuck, yes!”

When her yells of elation had scared off enough birds, the Imperial stripped off her boots and socks. Valleri’s grin grew as her soles landed on the hard ground. Her toes curled as they sunk into the grass then hit solid ground barely half an inch under.

Something caught the Imperial’s eye as she spun around. Valleri paused, squinting her eyes to see if she actually spotted what she thought was there. Not too far in the distance was a black pillar poking out of the earth. Earthy green moss covered most of the pillar and Valleri wasn’t surprised she missed it right away. Grabbing her boots and socks, Valleri rushed over, stopping until she was just in front of it. 

Much to her surprise, there was much more than the pillar buried into the ground. The ground had cracked in half to reveal a passageway leading into the ground. 

Valleri didn’t make it two steps in before she heard someone calling out her name. With a groan she turned around only to see Leo across the clearing, holding a longbow at the ready. His eyebrows knitted together as he approached her. “What are you doing all the way out here?”

“I had to get out for a bit. There's only so much I can take listening to two old men.”

Leo shook his head with amusement, “I know what you mean there.”

“Do you know what this place is?” Valleri mused. Leo gave her confused look, eliciting a sigh from the girl. “I mean you live here.”

“Yeah, I live here but that doesn’t mean I know what everything is. Luckily for you though, I do know what this place is.”

“Well?”

“The Skaal said it was a tomb when I asked. I don’t know who for, but they said to leave it alone.” Valleri’s attention turned to the door at the end of the passage way. Leo called out behind her, voice wavering, “Hey, wait! Where are you going?”

Valleri continued to the door as she answered, “Are you coming or not?” 

The hinges squeaked loudly as the door swung open. Valleri shot Leo an expectant look as she waited at the door. Leo’s eyes darted from her to the woods beyond the clearing. His shoulders sagged then he slung his bow over his shoulder. 

“I don’t think so, Valleri. You’ll end up getting into trouble or something.” Valleri groaned, making Leo cringe to himself. “I’m gonna head back home. What should I tell Uriel?”

“Uh… I dunno. Tell him I’m out,” Valleri called to him. She didn’t bother to watch Leo leave the clearing before heading on in. 

The inside of the ruins was just as dark as Valleri would have figured. With a sigh Valleri held out her hand, whispering a short spell. Light appeared from her palm and floated wistfully up in the air. Satisfied she had all the light she needed, Valleri started down the hall. It went deeper and deeper into the earth, gradually warming as Valleri continued. When she reached the bottom, Valleri hit another large door, much heavier than the last. She grunted and pushed all of her weight into the door until it started to creak open. 

Valleri didn’t get the door open all the way when she saw the cavernous room behind. Taking a step into the threshold, the young woman was able to see the room in full. Above her was a ceiling that rose hundreds of feet into the air. In front of her was a podium. When Valleri walked closer, she noticed claw-like markings set in two straight lines carved into the rock. If it was an alphabet of some sort, she couldn’t begin to read it. Wanting more, Valleri continued forwards, descending a small flight of stairs to get to the main platform.

Light emanated from the middle, coming from a large pit full of dying embers. A metal grate had covered the pit for the most part. A desiccated corpse was sprawled out over the grate. How long it had been roasting there, Valleri wasn’t sure she wanted to find out. Instead, she gave the wide pit a wide berth. 

Valleri stopped when she reached the end of the platform. Beyond the edge was a deep pool of water. Valleri couldn’t see the bottom, making her unsure of how deep the pool really was. She also couldn’t see any way to get out in the unfortunate scenario in which she fell in. 

Letting out a deep sigh, Valleri took a seat on the edge of the platform and closed her eyes. For the first time in what seemed like weeks, her mind felt clear. There was no one asking her to do something, no one expecting anything of her. 

Valleri let the magical floating light above her go out as she sat on the edge of the platform.

It was well past dark by the time Valleri made it back to Wallace’s cabin. Uriel was sitting on the front steps waiting for her. Her father shot her a knowing smirk before ruffling her hair and letting her in. 

…

It didn’t rain very often in Anvil when summer came. When it did, the house was always unbearably muggy inside, even when Ulia had all of the windows thrown open. Marco didn’t particularly like the rain, but he liked it better than staying indoors. A few of his plants didn’t like the heat either. When raindrops began to hit with windows, he would put on one of Valleri’s cloaks -- at least she wasn't here to yell at him when he got them wet-- and place some of the heat sensitive plants outside in the garden. 

Marco found himself crouching next to a pot containing a vine of peppers. He sighed when he looked at the leaves. They were all droopy and tinged with yellow. This particular pot had been left forgotten for some time behind some of Ulia’s herbs and was suffering for it. 

Marco looked up and raindrops fell on his face. 

There was no doubt in his mind this would make the peppers perk up again. 

The boy turned around when he heard a slew of familiar squawks coming from the street. Without missing a beat, Marco sprinted outside of the garden gate and to the seagulls taking refuge in the street. 

At this point, it had been five months since Marco had been trying to get the flock of sea birds to trust him. Everyday he’d take some time to go out and sit with them and bring them food. Ulia’s leftovers were usually stolen from the kitchen table and given to the seagulls. 

Valleri told him several times to leave the seagulls alone. But she wasn’t here and Marco didn’t have to listen to her. 

Marco slowed his approach the closer he got to his friends. The seagulls were mostly ambivalent to him, but there was an individual or two who squealed at him and started to come closer. Whether these seagulls liked him or not, Marco didn’t know. But he held out hope that one day they would. 

“Hey, kid!”

Marco turned around to see a tall, younger Redguard man approaching him. His hair was close cropped and he was dressed in something the sailors at the docks would wear. Marco disregarded him and turned back to the seagulls.

“Hey, wait.”

With a roll of his eyes, Marco turned to face the stranger again. “Look, make it quick. I’m a bit busy.”

“Right,” the stranger droned on. He narrowed his eyes and gazed at the birds. “I’m sure those gulls are busy too.”

“What did you want?”

“My family and I moved to town the other day…”

“Into the old manor house, right?”

The Redguard nodded his head, “Yeah. Anyways, my dad isn’t used to the dryness. He sent me to go get some ointment or something. Some random local told me to go find a kid with shaggy red hair named Marco. I’m assuming that’s you?”

Marco moaned loudly. “I’m just the delivery boy. Go find my mom.”

“Look, kid, I don’t know where this lady is. Can you take me to her?”

“Ten septims,” Marco demanded, holding out his hand. 

The stranger pulled out the coins and dropped them into Marco’s hand. He shook his head, “You’re one stingy little kid, you know that?”

“Yep.” Marco began to walk off towards the chapel in the middle of town without saying a word. The Redguard stood in place for a second. A grin came to his face before he started racing after.

“Say, I know your name is Marco.”

“So?”

“Aren’t you going to ask mine?”

“Fine. What’s your name?”

“Lexius.”

…

Ulia was one of the only healers in Anvil that really knew what they were doing. After Anvil was sacked and given back to the Empire, the town was hit with a plague. It was at that time that Ulia was able to establish herself after being absent for so many years. Thankfully there hadn’t been a case of plague since just after Marco was born eleven years before. 

While Ulia grew, stored, and made all of what she needed for her practice at home, she often visited the chapel to work. Compared to her own home, the chapel was calm and quiet. And devoid of her children most of the time.

Ulia sat in the back pews, listening to the raindrops hit the stained glass windows. Her eyes were closed allowing her to focus on the sound.

“Excuse me, Ulia.”

The woman opened her eyes as she turned her head towards the middle of the pews. One of the priestesses, a portly Dunmer woman, was standing next to her. Behind her was a young Bosmer girl, dressed in a fine green gown. 

Ulia took a moment to rub the sleep out of her eyes. “Ah, yes. What did you need?”

The priestess grinned. “I wanted you to introduce you to our newest acolyte.”

“Wonderful!”

Moving to the side, the priestess ushered the young girl forward. “This is Lady Marisol Ferro. She will be staying here for sometime to serve the chapel.”

Ulia’s breathing halted for only an instant while her heart raced. She couldn’t look away from Marisol. Not when the girl looked so much like someone she would have rather forgotten. The similarities were too striking. 

The woman shook her head in an attempt to refocus. Ulia tried to smile as she reached for Marisol's hand. “Your name is awfully familiar. Is your father Lord Ferro of Fort Wariel?”

Marisol smiled when Ulia finished. If she caught onto the healer’s initial hesitance, she didn’t show it. “Yes. Have you met my father before?”

Ulia inhaled shakily. “Only for a short time. I lived at the fort for a short while a long, long time ago.” She paused, trying to relax. “My name is Ulia Hayn. I’m the healer here in town. You may get to work with me depending on what path you choose to focus on during your time here.”

Marisol was about to speak when Ulia spotted a familiar face by the door. She knitted her eyebrows as Marco tried to wave her over. Behind him was a cheerful looking Redguard. Looking back to Marisol, she took the girl's hand in her own. “I look forward to talking with you further. If you’ll excuse me.”

If Marisol replied, Ulia didn’t hear it. Ulia looked at her son with exasperation as she approached. “Marco? Is everything okay?”

“Yeah. This guy wanted an ointment from you”

Ulia took a quick look at the young man. He seemed nice enough. “What sort of ointment?”

The Redguard rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, “You see, my dad’s an Argonian and we just came from somewhere more humid.

“Say no more. I know exactly how to help you,” Ulia laughed as she led the boys back home. “Where is your family from?”

“Sort of all over the place. I lived in the Imperial City before I moved in with Alastaros and Skeeva. We came down here because of my father’s research on Ayleid ruins.”

“You should meet my daughter when she gets back. She’s been hanging around the ruins recently.”

The Redguard grinned. “What’s her name?”

“Valleri. Her name is Valleri.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey hey! I'm back again super quick. Which is cool! cause more content to read! Woo! For full transparency, I have been trying to give my self at least a one chapter buffer before posting. Anyways, let me know what you guys think!
> 
> Thanks for reading!!! \^-^/


	4. Chapter Three: Bruises

**4E 191 Midyear**

Valleri hadn’t been in Windhelm more than an hour or two by the time she already formed an opinion on the city.

The city was made almost entirely of sharp black stone, crumbling away after years of poor upkeep. The streets were narrow and dark. The only advantage this afforded the citizens was that the snow would be more likely to pile up on the roof rather than in the street, saving on labor lost shoveling it out of the way. But the spring thaw made the streets slick with run off, freezing when night time came.

But that wasn’t what bothered her. The city’s residents were primarily Nords and Dunmer refugees. Uriel was leading Valleri through the Grey Quarter as the locals called the slum when they both saw it.

Valleri tugged on Uriel's cloak to get him to stop when she noticed two big Nordic men pulling a Dunmer into a side alley way, dragging a rickety cart of vegetables behind them. There was some yelling as the elf tried to escape. One of the Nords held him back while the other started smashing the cart.

“Valleri, stay here.”

With wide eyes, Valleri watched her father run into the alley. The older Imperial man wasted no time landing a hard fist in the Nord’s face, making him fall backwards.

His compatriot was too shocked to continue destroying the cart. “What do you think you’re doing?”

Uriel placed himself between the Dunmer on the ground and the much bigger Nord. “Stopping you from damaging another person’s property. What could possess you to do that?”

Satisfied the assailants were distracted, Valleri rushed over, taking a knee by the Dunmer man. There was a gash above his eye that was bleeding. Wasting no time, Valleri retrieved some gauze from her bag to stop the blood.

“Property? No one wants that trash the grey skin was bringing into the city.”

Uriel paused, glaring at the Nord. “And what do you bring into this city?”

“I’m protecting Windhelm from the people that don’t belong here!”

“You saw what I did to your friend,” Uriel gestured to the man groaning on the ground. “I suggest you find somewhere else to go before I call over a guard.”

Valleri turned her head to watch the Nord pick up his friend and exit the alley way. “We’ll be watching you, Imperial!”

Uriel shook his head while he surveyed the damaged cart. Scattered bits of damaged vegetables littered the alley. He whispered quietly to himself, “What a mess.”

Valleri helped the Dunmer up after she was sure the gash wasn’t going to bleed any longer. “You okay?” she asked.

Shaking his head, he strode over the cart and sighed. “I’m fine. But my day has been thoroughly ruined. Thanks for your help, though.”

“Does this happen often?”

“Unfortunately so. Those two will probably be back tomorrow.”

“What about the crop?” Valleri asked.

Again the Dunmer let out a drawn out sigh. “I’ll have to start over. Again.”

Uriel gave a quick glance to Valleri before digging out a small coin purse. “Here, take this. I’m not sure if it reimburses you for all the vegetables, but hopefully it’ll help.”

The Dunmer stared at him in shock. “I can’t possibly take money from you.”

“No, it's the least I can do.”

“And what about--”

Uriel smirked, cutting the Dunmer off, “Don’t worry about them. I can handle myself well enough. Just try to take it easy if you’re able. Come on, Val.”

Valleri waved to the Dunmer before following Uriel back to the main road. She stared at the back of the man’s head, chest tightening up. The girl felt admiration for Uriel’s actions. She always had. But Valleri was well aware that there was always a price to pay, even if they were helping someone. For now, Valleri found herself flinching each time they passed by a dark corner.

Uriel caught onto Valleri’s downcast expression. “I’m sorry I had to drag you into that, Val.”

“No, I get it,’ Valleri mumbled. “You know what’s gonna happen though. If we’re lucky maybe we won’t get run out of the city.”

Uriel clicked his tongue, “Yeah. That’s why I’m apologizing.” He gave his daughter’s hair a ruffle before they made it to the city center. The atmosphere here was equally dreary. Valleri shook her head; maybe she was just projecting at this point.

Moments later, her father was able to find the inn and secure a room for the night. The thought of sleeping on a bed made Valleri perk up a little. It had been awhile since she’d been able to do that. During her time at Wallace and Leo’s cabin, Valleri shared the extra floor space with Uriel. She tired of that fairly quickly. But now, she had a bed all to herself!

The two travelers shared a small dinner in the upstairs loft of the inn. The food wasn’t great, but Valleri ate it without complaint, glad that it wasn’t another ash yam. Uriel was unusually quiet and stared at the hearth with a distracted expression. Valleri didn’t comment on it, fully aware of what he was thinking about.

It wasn’t until later that night that she heard him shuffling about the room. The young woman didn’t move in the bed and kept her eyes shut. Moments later she heard the door shut behind Uriel as he left. Sure she was alone, Valleri sat up and breathed in sharply.

It was only a matter of time.

Valleri tried to lay down and go back to sleep to no avail. Sure she wasn’t able to fall back asleep, Valleri took in a sharp breath and steeled herself. Uriel was taking longer than she thought. She leapt from her bed and started packing their bags as quickly as she could. Mad panic filled her, making it difficult for her to breathe.

She paused when she heard heavy footsteps down the hall, approaching her room.

Valleri searched the room for anything she could use as a makeshift weapon.

The steps were coming closer.

Her hands reached for a hefty candle snuffer and she went to twall next to the door.

Seconds lengthened to what felt like hours as she watched the door creak open.

With a breath of relief, Valleri dropped the snuffer to the ground when Uriel stepped into the room. He shut the door and leaned against it, sliding to the ground. He was breathing heavily when he finally tried to relax. Valleri shot him a questioning look, making him laugh bitterly.

“I’m sorry, Val. I’m really sorry.”

The young woman said nothing when she noticed the black eye on her father’s face. His knuckles were red and swollen, covered in bloody splotches.

“Dad?”

“You know what, Valleri?. Sometimes you can try to change people’s minds, but it just won’t happen. Shouldn’t stop you from trying though.”

Valleri glanced between her father on the floor and the packed bags across the room. “Should we go now?”

“Probably should before the guards come snooping around.”

Nothing was said between the two as they made their way to the city gates. The world around them was already dark and silent as they left the city. There wasn’t any commotion in the city Valleri could hear. Maybe nothing terribly bad happened after all? Regardless, Uriel thought it was best to leave and Valleri didn’t want to stay in Windhelm anyways.

Valleri wouldn’t have minded if she never came this way again.

…

Valleri was at a loss as to how she and Uriel completely missed Whiterun on their way to Solsthiem. The city sat high on the only hill for miles, dominating the plains around it. Granted, the road that led to the city was in massive disrepair and was easy to miss.

On their way back though, Uriel kept his eyes to the road and made sure they were on the right track. Just as the landscape was turning hilly, Uriel took a hard right heading the direction of the open plain. Valleri’s eyes drifted towards the city at her right. Unlike Windhelm, Whiterun wasn’t built of the same threatening stone that made her feel unwelcome.

Uriel stopped in the road and Valleri watched a wide grin grow on his face. The man held up his hand and waved. Valleri furrowed her eyebrows as she stared ahead. “See something?”

“Yeah, just someone we know.”

“Oh?”

Valleri stared for another moment before she saw the armor clad figure coming towards them . She took a long breath in as the girl stood just a bit straighter. Valleri would have recognized that dark choppy hair anywhere.

“Is everything-- Oh! Wait, I know you two!” Vilkas stuttered, brows rising to the top of his forehead when he recognized Uriel and Valleri. “I honestly didn’t think you two would make it.”

Uriel arched an eyebrow, making the young man squirm. “Well, we made it, if that’s all right by you.”

“Yeah. No, it’s fine.” Vilkas turned back to the city. “You guys going to Whiterun?” He waited for a reply from Uriel and was satisfied when the older Imperial hummed affirmatively. “I’m on my way back too. I can show you the way so you don’t get lost again.”

Valleri heard Uriel mutter something under his breath. Her father’s eyes went to ground and he wore a meek grin. “Gods, you’re never going to let me live that down.”

“Not at all,” Vilkas affirmed with a quick nod. He ushered the two newcomers down the road, talking with Uriel all the while. Valleri stayed behind them, content to just stare at the scenery, listening to snippets of their conversation.

“What happened to Kodlak?”

“Oh, he’s at Jorrvaskr working some things. He’ll be glad to see you two.”

“I imagine so. Does that mean you were on a solo job?” Vilkas nodded wordlessly. “I’m surprised they let some as young as you go out by yourself,” Uriel continued, giving the Companion a sharp clap on the back.

Vilkas flinched, then shot the man an annoyed glare. Valleri’s father mumbled a quick apology before Vilkas continued. “I’ve been at this a lot longer than you’d think.”

“And I’d have no choice but to believe you,” Uriel whispered.

By now, the trio passed under the final gate leading to the city. Guards dressed in pale yellow uniforms lingered about. Valleri could only imagine the bored look on their faces as she passed by. She watched as Vilkas slowed his pace and fell in line next to her. The Imperial gave him a wistful grin when he nodded in greeting.

“How was Solsthiem?”

“How much time do you have?”

Vilkas grimaced, “That bad?”

“You have no idea!” Valleri laughed. “Anyways I’m glad to be back in a place where it doesn’t feel like I’m stepping in second rate sand. That ash is terrible.”

“Is this a warning or a statement?”

Valleri chuckled to herself. “It's a warning!”

“Damn! I’ve always wanted to visit Morrowind,” Vilkas muttered with a sigh, still wearing a smile. “Anyways--”

Uriel cut the young man off with a yell. “Hey, Vilkas! Which way is Jorrvaskr?”

The young Nord grumbled. “Past the market then up the stairs. Should be to your right.”

“He’s not gonna get it,” Valleri said, shrugging.

Vilkas pinched the bridge of his nose, “Kyne help me…” He sped up and started walking in front of Uriel. “Just.. just follow me.” Begrudgingly, Vilkas led Uriel and Valleri through Whiterun, navigating expertly through people and market stalls. Valleri stared in wonder at her surroundings. Much of the city was bustling, something she hadn’t noticed in either Raven Rock or Windhelm. It was a nice change for once and reminded her of home. Up the stairs Vilkas mentioned before was a plaza containing a large tree, branches laden with crimson and pink flowers. Valleri was so distracted by the tree that she almost missed the old mead hall.

The building was perched high on another wide platform, topped with an old ship. Wood smoke rose out of a few chimneys. From around the back, she heard the sound of arrows firing and clashing metal.

“Sounds familiar,” Valleri whispered to herself.

Vilkas perked up, “Did you say something?”

“No. Nothing at all.”

The Nord shrugged and went up the stairs, followed by Uriel and Valleri. Much like the city itself, most of the furniture in the mead hall was made up of wood. A long wooden table took up most of the middle of the hall while an area at the far end was sequestered for more training. At the opposite end was a staircase leading to a basement.

A redheaded woman with a bow slung over her shoulder coming in through the backdoor stopped when she saw Vilkas in the middle of the room. “You’re back early. What happened?”

“Nothing. I ran into some friends. Is Kodlak still here?”

“He’s downstairs. I’m on my down; I can let him know if you’d like.”

“That’d be great. Thanks Aela.”

With that, the strange woman disappeared. Valleri shot Uriel an uneasy glance. The older man grinned at the sight of her and offered her a place to sit Reluctantly, she sat down on the edge of the seat, making sure not to get too comfortable. The young woman watched Vilkas from across the, slowly taking off the armor he was wearing a few moments earlier. He looked up when he heard footsteps bounding up the stairs.

Kodlak gave Vilkas a curt nod and mouthed something inaudible to the boy. Vilkas gestured behind him when Kodlak was about to walk away. Valleri saw the old man’s eyes go wide as he caught sight of her and Uriel by the table.

The uneasy grin faded to a wide smile on Uriel’s face when he saw Kodlak enter the main hall. The two men embraced before a moment before Kodlak stepped back and assessed his friend. “I half expected you to either get lost or start tracking in the ash.”

“We were able to clean up a little while we were in Windhelm.”

Kodlak tilted his head and took a deep breath. He cringed when he saw Uriel’s black eye. “What happened here?”

“I got into some trouble while in Windhelm. It doesn’t matter.”

The unease left Kodlak’s expression and he placed a hand on Uriel’s shoulder. “You’re probably right. It's nice to have you here in any case. How long are you planning on staying in Whiterun?”

“Just the night,” Uriel responded, looking back to Valleri for confirmation. The girl shrugged. “We wanted to get back home as soon as possible.”

Valleri watched Vilkas turn to look at the group when Uriel finished. He was wearing a stern look as he called across the room, “The border’s closed.”

The girl narrowed her eyes, “Wait, what?”

“That’s right. The border’s been closed for a few days now. They’re only letting Imperial soldiers through,” Kodlak explained.

“Do you know why?”

Kodlak shook his head. “All we heard was that it had something to do with fighting in Markarth.”

“The Legion was called in to stop another Forsworn uprising,” Vilkas said as he came closer to the group.

Kodlak’s brows knitted together. “I thought it was because they needed to take care of the Talos worship outside of the city.” He paused, waiting for Vilkas to comment. The young man remained silent. Kodlak turned back to Uriel and continued, “Regardless, it’ll be trouble getting through until the situation clears.”

Valleri bit the inside of her cheek in anxiety as she stared into the distance. In a matter of seconds her mood crashed. The one thing she was looking forward to was heading back to Anvil. And now Anvil felt so close yet so far away.

She turned to Kodlak and Vilkas, speaking through a grimace, “How long do you think it’ll be closed down?”

“No more than a couple of weeks probably.”

Uriel shook his head, dismayed. “No, no, no. If the Legion says a couple of weeks, it's gonna be more like a month or so. Trust me, I know.”

Valleri knew Uriel was right. She didn’t have to be a veterna to know how mismanaged their little campaign would be. It would lead to delay after delay.

“I guess we'll head to Falkreath tomorrow and hunker down there until everything blows over. That way Valleri and I will be ready when it opens.”

“Why not stay here in Whiterun?”

Uriel stepped back and held his hands up in rejection. “Are you absolutely sure?”

Kodlak nodded his head, “Absolutely. We have a few spare beds and at least you know a few people in Whiterun. It will be no problem. Right, Vilkas?”

Vilkas shifted in place. His eyes darted around the room while he searched for an answer. For only a moment, he met Valler’s gaze for a second and the girl heard him mumble something to himself. The old Nord next to him shook his head with exasperation.

“Tilma will get you guys a bunk made up in the spare room up here.”

“Thank you. This means a lot to Valleri and I. If there’s anything we can do let us know.”

By then, Valleri stood up and nodded to Kodlak, whispering a quiet thank you. Without another word, she left the mead hall and lingered outside on the steps unsure of where to go. Breathing out, she heard the door open and close behind her. Valleri looked over her shoulder to see Vilkas standing at the top of the stairs. His hair was pulled back, revealing his face. It was covered in an inquisitive expression, as though he wanted to say something but couldn’t quite figure how.

Valleri gave him a faltering smile and waved before heading down.

…

It was early afternoon the next day by the time Valleri was bored of Jorrvaskr. People were in and out all day, obviously not interested in having a conversation. And if she were interested in the history of the Companions there was plenty of reading material around. Unfortunately she wasn’t interested.

But through the homesickness and general lack of interest, the Imperial had to get out. She said a quick goodbye to Uriel before leaving and made a beeline to the city gates.

Valleri paused when she made it to the main road. The sun was already at its peak in the sky, letting Valleri know she had all the time in the world. She took a step or two down the road, chose a direction, and started walking.

It wasn’t long until Valleri came across a copse of trees off the road a few hundred yards away from the road. Apart from the wonderful sight of green boughed trees, Valleri was drawn to a set of stones poking out of the ground. Bushes grew around the stones, obscuring them from those who weren’t paying much attention. Pulling the bushes away, Valleri studied the first stone, engrossing herself in the strange carvings.

It wasn’t a minute later that she heard twigs snapping behind her.

Without much thought, Valleri swiped a large stick from the ground and swung as hard as she against whatever had snuck up behind her.

The stick went flying as it bounced off the person’s shoulder.

Valleri stepped backwards, eyes wide with shock as she watched Vilkas double over, holding his arm in pain.

“Fuck! That fucking hurt!”

“I’m sorry? You shouldn’t sneak up on people? What in Oblivion are you doing?” Valleri yelled at her unexpected company.

Vilkas stared at her through narrowed eyes, reminding her of a kicked puppy. “I dunno! I saw you out here and figured I’d check up on you before I went back to town!” The young man rolled up his short sleeve to inspect the giant bruise that was forming on his bicep. “Shor’s bones, I didn’t think you’d hit me that hard!”

“What in the world did you think I’d do? My dad’s captain of the guard. Of course I know how to hit someone sneaking up on me.” With a sigh, she stepped closer and took a hold of Vilkas’ arm to see if it was really as bad as she thought. “Although, honestly, I am kind of sorry. Next time you see me out here, use my name. I probably won’t attack you with a stick.”

“Good advice.” Vilkas took his arm back with a sudden movement and moved to the stones past Valleri. “What are you doing out anyways?”

“I got restless. Needed a walk.”

“I guess nobody really needs to worry about you getting hurt out here…” Vilkas muttered under his breath.

“Look, I said I was sorry!”

“I know, I know. I’m just messing with you,” Vilkas explained, expression softening. “So what are we looking at out here?”

Valleri shrugged and moved past Vilkas, running her hands over the weathered stones, “I dunno. I guess I got excited about the trees and the stones. I thought there might have been some neat carvings on them. Then you came along and now I’ve kinda lost interest.”

“You like old ruins?”

Valleri turned around, arching a brow. “Yeah. What about it?”

“I know a place you might like that's nearby.” He paused when Valleri gave him another unbelieving glance. Vilkas shrugged, “I’ve lived here for almost twenty years. I know this place like the back of my hand.”

The young woman stared back at him with wide, expectant eyes, “Well, let's get going then.”

Vilkas shook his head, smiling with fake exasperation. He led her away from the copse of trees northwards. The landscape was rockier than Valleri expected and she found herself almost tripping over a few rocks. If Vilkas noticed, he didn’t show it.

About an hour or so into their trek, Vilkas paused, crossing his arms. “Well, Imperial. There it is.”

Valleri saw a tall staircase rising against the foot of some mountain in front of her, peaked with a strange stone mound. Two platforms were placed on the side of the staircase, providing a good spot for look outs and archers. On the ground to her right was a dilapidated tower.

“Valleri?”

The young woman was already walking up the stairs when she turned around and answered him with a wide smile plastered on her face. “What is this place?”

“It's called Silent Moons Camp. There were some bandits here a few years ago, but some of the other Companions cleared them out a few years ago.”

Valleri started climbing the stairs. “You weren’t with them?”

“No. I was only fifteen and Kodlak didn’t want Farkas and I working at the time.”

“Oh. What else can you tell me about this place?”

Vilkas was only a few steps behind her. He paused on the steps mulling over his answer. “Not much. I’ve heard that weapons made here have some sort of magical power to them or that this temple was dedicated to the moons. I don’t know how much stock I’d put into that though.”

By the time Vilkas was finished, Valleri had made it to the top of the staircase. She sighed and looked up to mound. There didn’t seem to be a way to enter the stone mound, but the ridges in the side seemed stable enough to walk on. Taking a deep breath in, Valleri started to climb.

“Hey, are there a lot of ruins in Cyrodiil or something?”

Valleri glanced down to Vilkas. He seemed busy trying to get foothold in the rock to join her. Valleri smirked and offered him a hand. “Yeah, all over the place if you know where to look. The Ayleid ruins are the best ones though.”

Vilkas hoisted himself up with a groan. When he was sure he was stable on the uneven ground, he dusted himself off.

The Imperial continued. “Most of them have been picked clean by now. But there’s old carvings and murals and what not.”

The Nord regarded her with excitement, “You know how to read elvish?”

Grinning with pride, Valleri took a seat on the stone. From up here, she could see almost the entire plain reaching out in front of her. At the far distance at one end was Whitrun, sticking out of the scenery like a jagged tree stump. The plain stretched far out into the opposite direction until it faded out of view.

“Well, sort of. I can read a lot of the elvish the Altmer used. But Ayleidoon is completely new.” She paused, watching disappointment flash over Vilkas’ face before it was replaced with an encouraging smile. “I was trying to teach myself how to read it before I left.”

“Hey, uh, I’m sorry by the way.”

Valleri turned her attention to Vilkas sitting next to her. The Nord was wearing an abashed frown and staring hard at the ground. “Sorry about what?”

“The border and what not. I figured you weren’t exactly happy about being stuck here.”

“Well, that kind of goes without saying,” Valleri interrupted, laughing bitterly. She paused, noticing Vilkas glaring at her through narrowed eyes. Valleri couldn’t help but squirm. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t take it out on you, especially since it's not your fault.”

“No, I think I get it. I have to go all over Skyrim because of work, but I’ve never been stuck somewhere.”

“Well, maybe it won’t be so bad?” the girl mused. She gestured wildly as she tried to explain to Vilkas, who was giving her another confused look. “I wouldn’t mind never going back to Solsthiem, but Skyrim is hardly the worst. I can get used to this.”

“You’re good then?”

“Relatively.

“We should probably head back then,” Vilkas muttered. Valleri watched him climb down the mound, landing on the ground with a solid thud “Need help?”

The Imperial shook her head, “No, I’m good.”

Or at least she thought she was. On her way down, Valleri felt her foot get stuck in a crevice. She was instantly thrown off kilter as her ankle twisted in an unnatural direction. The muscles in her foot felt as though they were tearing. In a gross attempt to save herself, Valleri went as stiff as a plank as she tried to slide off the mound. Too late, she realized she was landing on the wrong foot. Valleri cringed as pain shot up her leg.

“Shit! Fuck!”

“That didn’t look too good. You okay?”

Valleri hung onto the mound for support as she pulled off her boot. Her ankle was bruised with deep purple and the joint was already swelling. “Yeah. I’m fine. Let’s just go,” Valleri spoke through clenched teeth.

Vilkas grabbed onto her arm before she started to move, making sure Valleri stayed put. “Hey, you know what? You’re not fine. Here, I’ll carry you back to town.”

“You’re kidding. All the way?”

“Eh, I’ve carried a lot more a lot farther. Trust me; you’re easy.”

Valleri stared at her friend for a moment before relenting. Her ankle really did hurt, sending a shock up her spine every time she put pressure on it. “Fine.”

Wordlessly, Vilkas knelt down and waited for Valleri to hop on his back. When he was sure Valleri was secure, Vilkas stood up with a huff and started down the stairs. Every once in a while, he would pause and readjust his grip on Valleri’s legs. For her part, Valleri made sure not to strangle him with her arms.

“Well, I guess this means no going out for a while,” Valleri mumbled disappointedly.

Vilkas tilted his head, “You’ll figure something out. Do you like reading?”

Valleri smirked to herself. “I told you I was trying to teach myself a dead language. What do you think?”

She heard Vilkas laugh. “I’ll see if I can find something for you then.”

“Thanks.”

Tired, Valleri laid her head on her arm, still mindful of Vilkas’ neck. Their trek back to Whiterun was quiet with neither of them saying a word. Townspeople stared at them when they finally entered the city. Valleri got off Vilkas’ back when they reached Jorrvaskr and hopped up the stairs.

Valleri didn’t see much of Vilkas when they got back. Uriel let out a disappointed sigh when he saw his daughter's purple, swollen ankle. His disappointment didn’t last long when he noticed the content grin on her face.

“Good day?”

The young woman beamed. “Good day.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Happy New Years! I have a gift! Its a new chapter, please enjoy! I realize its been a few days in between these last few updates. I learned something valuable in my time off: don't overwork yourself and good pacing is key! Regardless, thanks for joining me in the new year and hopefully it'll be better than the last.
> 
> Thanks for reading!!!!! \^-^/


	5. Chapter Four: Goats

**4E 191 Midyear**

Valleri’s sprained ankle was not nearly as bad as she or anyone thought it was. The initial swelling went down after a few hours and the bruise was much smaller than she thought. After a day or two of icing the injury, Valleri was able to walk again without too much pain. 

No one was surprised that the first thing she did was leave Whiterun and continued exploring the plains. 

Vilkas would join her anytime he was free. While that wasn’t often considering he still had work to do, he would have rather been out there with her rather than sitting around Jorrvaskr. Valleri wasn’t able to go very far for very long. What she lacked in physical prowess, Valleri made up with unfathomable depths of curiosity. Compared to a lot of the warriors living at Jorrvaskr, it was a welcome change. 

Valleri had been at Jorrvaskr for three weeks when Vilkas finally worked up the courage to come to her with a proposition.

She didn’t even look up from her book when she answered. “You’re nuts, you know that?”

“Not at all. Besides, you know I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t think you were up for it.”

This time Valleri did look up, regarding him with disbelief. “Okay first of all, this is your work. Second of all, you know for a fact I can’t fight.”

Vilkas sighed; she had a point. He grimaced but continued anyways, “It is work, but people are in and out all the time. I can promise you that all Kodlak will care about is that the job gets done. And you know how to fight.”

“A stick is very different from an actual sword.”

“Great! No time like the present to learn,” Vilkas said as he jumped from his perch on the table. 

Valleri turned in her seat to face him, arm dangling over the back. “You hate teaching people though,” she reminded, narrowing her eyes. 

“I’ll make an exception then.” Vilkas paused, noting the disgruntled look on the Imperial’s face. He grinned maniacally. “It sounds like you're trying to get out of this.”

Valleri breathed in, eyes going wide when she caught onto his dare. She clattered up from the table, “What time did you want to head out?”

The young Nord glanced to the side, trying to hide his obvious entertainment. Valleri may have been relentlessly curious, but Vilkas was learning very quickly it was hard for her to back down from a dare. “As soon as possible. I’ll see if I can get you a sword or something from downstairs. I’ll meet you at the city gates.”

He watched Valleri nod before she disappeared into the side room. Without wasting another second, Vilkas went downstairs to collect his things. Valleri was already gone by the time Vilkas made it back upstairs. After a cursory look, Vilkas couldn’t find anything for Vallleri to use inside. With a sigh he went to the back porch, trying not to arouse suspicion. He spotted an extra sword leaning against the tables. It seemed fine apart from a chip on the edge. 

Vilkas turned to the person closest to him, “Hey do you know if anyone is using this?”

They gave him a wordless, confused shake of their head. Satisfied with their answer, Vilkas slung the sword over his back and left around the side of Jorrvaskr.

Valleri was waiting for him at the gate, leaning against a support and keeping weight off her ankle. She flashed him a wide smile then caught the sword when Vilkas tossed it at her. “That took longer than I thought.”

The young Nord shrugged as they left the Whiterun. ‘Did you tell Uriel?”

“I just sort of yelled in his direction that I’d be out for a while.” Valleri paused when she noticed Vilkas grimacing. “Well, it's not like he should be worried. Should he?”

“Probably not. They didn’t really tell me what I was supposed to be doing, just that I needed to talk to some guy in Rorikstead named Ennis”

“Wow. That sounds incredibly… Specific.”

Vilkas grinned at her obvious sarcasm. Valleri gave him a side eyed glance, prompting him to elaborate. “Don’t look at me. I was only the unlucky guy to draw the short end of the stick.” The young woman didn’t answer, but stared at him expectantly. Vilkas sighed and continued, “It's not the weirdest thing they’ve had me do either.”

“And you’re not going to elaborate?” Valleri shook her head with mock disappointment. “How boring!”

“I am not boring! You just have high standards for what's interesting and what's not.”

Valleri paused in the road and stared at him through narrowed eyes. Her face was twisted with a bitter smile. “Look, out of the both of us, you’re probably the one with high standards. For Stendarr’s sake, you’re a Companion. I’d think anything less wouldn’t be enough.”

“What about you then?”

He watched Valleri take a step back. She sighed finally, crossing her arms. “If you really want to know, I’m supposed to be taking an apprenticeship when I get back to Anvil. And even then I still have to do my time at the chapel. Compared to just wandering, it all feels so suffocating.”

“If you don’t want to do it, then why?”

This time, Valleri smiled widely and waved him off. “There was some family drama that happened before and my parents are just worried if I don’t, I wouldn’t be able to make it on my own. What about you? Is being a Companion all you wanted it to be?”

Vilkas hated that he hesitated, a sick feeling appearing deep in the pit of the stomach. He knew Valleri caught on. Rubbing the back of his neck, Vilkas spoke as he walked. “Generally? Kodlak helped our mother raise Farkas and I after Jergen left--”

“Wait! Kodlak isn’t your father?”

Valleri stared at him with shock. Vilkas narrowed his eyes in confusion. “No, he’s not. Where did you get that idea?”

“I dunno.”

“Anyways, being a Companion was really the only thing I wanted to do. Of course it's not going to be perfect right away. I have to work at it before things settle down.”

The smile had disappeared from Valleri’s face. “You’ve never wanted to do anything else?”

“No.” 

Valleri took a deep breath in before muttering half to herself. “We really must be two different people.”

For some reason those words stuck with Vilkas, repeating themselves over and over again in his head. It wasn’t long until Valleri was distracted by something else, content to just stare at the landscape around them. Several times, Vilkas tried to think of anything to start a conversation with only to fall flat before he could get the words out. Eventually all he could do was focus on moving his feet down the road.

“It's getting dark out,” the Imperial muttered. 

Following her gaze up to the sky above them, Vilkas found she was right. The sky was turning hazy pink and stars were only just appearing. If they were lucky, they’d have little more time before it was completely dark. 

Vilkas turned to look at his friend before he paused, eyes transfixed. The sun was bouncing off her skin, turning Valleri golden. Her smile was wide and her eyes were focused on the road in front of them. All Vilkas could focus on was the surety and warmth in that smile. 

She turned to him, saying in a quiet voice, “Hey, I’m sorry about earlier.”

“What for?”

“Just… I dunno. I feel like I was unnecessarily harsh.”

With a shake of his head, he refocused and started walking off, unable to look her in the eye. “We should probably set up camp off road.”

“Oh? Okay.”

Setting the camp and starting a small fire didn’t take very long. There was little said between the both of them. Vilkas still couldn’t bring himself to speak. Anything he could have said would have felt forced. The sky was already deep blue and purple when Valleri finally curled up to sleep. He watched her a little while longer to make sure she was sleeping okay. All the while, all Vilkas could think about was that warm smile.

…

“A goat?”

“Yes. Specifically my prize winning goat, Gleda.”

“Hey, do you remember yesterday? When I told you this seemed incredibly specific?”

“Yes. Yes, I do unfortunately. But now isn’t the time.”

Vilkas heard Valleri burst out laughing behind him, making his mood sink further. The man they were sent to find, Ennis, stared at her blankly. Vilkas pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. “Okay, so your goat went missing. Why didn’t you just go to the guards?”

“Have you seen the one guard we have in town?”

“No?”

“Exactly! The drunken lout won’t lift a finger!” Ennis yelled. “Look I just want my Gleda back. She’s probably scared and lonely out there.”

Valleri gave Vilkas an entertained look. He knew exactly what she was going to say and if Vilkas hadn’t been so tired he may have found it funny. She stepped forward with a grin. “How in the world did you lose your goat in the first place?”

“I can hardly believe it myself. Some inebriated fool stole Gleda and sold her to a giant so he could fix a staff. Whoever they were, they left a slurred note and I’ve been trying to make heads and tails of it for the last few days. But who in the world just steals a goat?”

“Whoever stole Gleda apparently.”

Vilkas shook his head. “Wait, you want us to get rid of the giant as well?”

“No, no, no. I just want Gleda back. I couldn’t care less what you do with the giant.’

“Great…” Vilkas muttered to himself before walking off down the road out of town. Valleri waved back to Ennis as she followed. Vilkas tried not to think too hard. If he did, he’d just get himself down again. Of all the things Skjor sent him off to do, fetching a goat may have been one of the frustrating. 

After a few more months and things would get better, Vilkas tried to convince himself. 

“So are we really going to kill a giant?”

Vilkas turned back around to see Valleri striding up to him. She waited for him to answer, giving him an expectant smile. Vilkas breathed out, looking forward with a glum expression. “Probably not. That's something we’d need at least three people to do. And even then,” Vilkas paused, finally locking eyes with his friend, “I’m not sure if I’d even want to.”

“That’s your decision then, Vilkas.” She paused again, grin widening. “I’ll try to back you up either way.”

The sentiment made Vilkas feel just a little better. He knew deep down that if they really were in trouble, there wasn’t much that Valleri could do. But the fact that she was right behind him meant the world. 

He paused, narrowing his eyes. “You’ve… you’ve seen a giant before, right?”

Valleri squirmed just a little, expression souring. “No. Not from up close anyways.”

“That’s fine. Everything’s fine,” Vilkas spoke through a grimace. They didn't make it very far when he first began to feel the earth rumbling. Then the smell hit him. There was an outcropping of rocks separating them from what he could only assume was the giant camp. He motioned for Valleri to follow him quietly and kept close to the rocks. “Do you see that goat?”

Vilkas watched her peak over the rocks, eyes widening as she saw the camp. “No? Gods, I dunno what I expected.”

“What do you mean?” 

Valleri slid down the rocks, hiding once again. Vilkas’ brows knitted together as he went to look for himself. He wasn’t surprised. There was an impressive bonfire in the middle of the camp surrounded by containers of fermenting cheese. That must have been where the smell was coming from. Vilkas squinted when he finally started searching for the goat.

Lo and behold, there the goat was, nestled between some more rocks. From the look of it, the goat could have been dead.

“I see the goat.”

“Okay, but maybe more importantly, where's the giant?”

Vilkas’ breath hitched in his throat. She had a point. He took another quick glance around the camp. “Not here apparently. We should get the goat and leave.”

“Convenient.”

Before he realized it, Valleri was already up and running around the outcropping. Vilkas stared at her with surprise. She looked over her shoulder and tilted her head questioningly. Vilkas could only shake his head before following. Much to his relief the goat was mostly fine. Gleda bleated at them when they approached. 

Valleri tried to coax the goat out of its nook to no avail. Every time it seemed as though Gleda would finally leave to follow them, she would only curl up again. And everytime she failed to get the goat to leave, Valleri only became more frustrated. 

“I’m just gonna pick the goat up then we can go.”

The young Nord stepped in front of her, whisking the goat up in his arms. Gleda bleated in protest and wriggled uncomfortably. 

“Look, I’ll just take the goat,” Valleri insisted. 

“Not at all. Your leg remember?” Valleri gestured to the greatsword on Vilkas’ back. He sighed. “If something does happen, it's probably best if we just run. I can’t carry you and the goat.”

Vilkas took a deep breath in when he felt the rumbling. At first it was just a tremor coming closer and closer. Before he could turn to look behind him, Vilkas heard the giant yell and swing something. The outcropping of rocks was shattered as the heavy club collided into it. 

For a brief moment, Vilkas was able to catch Valleri’s eyes. An expression of panic on her face when the giant took a single step forward, separating the both of them with a leg. 

The giant hoisted his club back up into the air and brought it high up above his head. There was another yell. Vilkas stood frozen in place when he watched the club come down once again.

“Vilkas, run! Now!”

Without warning, the giant reared back. The club flew from his grasp, landing several hundred feet away. Vilkas, out of his funk, saw Valleri standing next to the giant’s foot with her sword sticking out of his leg. She attempted to pull the sword back out as the giant danced around in pain.

For an instant, Vilkas finally caught Valleri’s attention. A look of relief flashed over her face before turning back to the giant’s leg.

“Valleri! Leave it, we have to go!”

She gave him a short nod before running past the other side of the destroyed outcropping. Vilkas looked back up to the giant, who was screaming in pain while trying to pull the sharp object out of his leg, before running off. Gleda screamed in his ear all along the way.

It wasn’t long before the young man caught up with Valleri. She was standing still with her hands on her news, breathing heavily. Vilkas called out to her and let Gleda down. Thankfully the goat didn’t seem to leave his side, seemingly frightened by what just transpired. Valleri turned to meet him. “Gods, are you okay?”

Vilkas stared at her for a second, gaze never leaving her face. “Yeah, I’m… I’m fine. I think you just saved my life!”

“I thought you were going to die. Fuck… Fuck!”

“Hey, look, I'm still here. Still in one piece.” Vilkas pounded his chest, making sure to make a solid thumping noise to convince Valleri he was still there in front of her.

“I know. But I still can't get the image of that club out of my head. That was so close.”

“Valleri, stop. We’re still both here. And I don’t think I’ve ever seen any quite like you jamming a blade into a giant’s leg. It was… just so brave. Amazing even!”

The Imperial girl’s expression melted into a desperate frown. Without warning, Valleri wrapped her arms tightly around him. She buried her face into his shoulder, speaking with a wavering tone.

The sudden hug had Vilkas standing in shock. He felt her shaking against his chest. Taking a deep breath in, Vilkas hugged her back. He wrapped his arms tight around her back. Soon enough, it seemed as though she was calm again. Even his own heartbeat seemed to slow and the memories of the giant disappeared.

Valleri didn’t let go, content enough to stay right where she was. And Vilkas didn’t mind. They could get the goat back to Ennis later.

…

Uriel sighed as he waited on the front steps, arms crossed and stern faced. It was getting dark. And Valleri and Vilkas had been away for almost three days. It wasn’t as though Valleri hadn’t warned him that she would be gone. She just didn’t tell him for how long. Still Uriel tried not to worry. His daughter was clever and she wasn’t alone out there. That Vilkas lad seemed to be reliable enough. 

In another moment, he heard the door leading into Jorrvaskr open up. Uriel tried to smile when he saw Koldak looking back to him. “Are you waiting up for them?”

“Yeah. I know it's gonna be another day or two, but she’s never really been gone for this long.”

Kodlak shrugged, closing the door, “They’re both capable.” For a moment, the Nordic man’s fell to the ground. “How would you feel about a drink in the back? Most everyone is gone or asleep.” 

Uriel thought for a moment before a wide grin came to his face, “Yeah, that’d be great.”

Without wasting another moment, the two men went around the side path to the back porch. Uriel lit a lantern while Kodlak went back inside. After a minute, he came back out with a dark red bottle with a smudged label. 

The Imperial snatched the bottle and took a whiff. The liquid was familiarly fruity. “Where did you get this stuff?”

Kodlak shrugged. “I have no idea. It was a gift from a friend years and years ago. I honestly forgot about it until recently.” 

“Well, bottoms up!”

As soon as the alcohol touched his tongue, Uriel could feel it burn. It had been awhile since he had anything like it. Not for a few years at least. 

“Hey Uriel, is all right for me to assume that you were in the war?”

“Yeah. I was unfortunately.”

“Did you ever meet a man by the name of Jergen?”

“You’ll have to be more specific, Kodlak. I met a lot of people during that time.”

Kodlak sighed, expression downcast. “Jergen was the twins father. He was a part of the Companions for a while. There was an incident and he ran off. I told Vilkas and Farkas he went to fight in the war.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t think I ever met him. Things happened towards the end of the war and I had to take an early leave,” Uriel answered. A part of him wilted when he saw Kodlak sink further into his seat. Uriel took another swig of his drink. “Would you be willing to tell me what happened to him?”

Kodlak stole a glance at his friend. He took another moment to mull over his thoughts before speaking. “Only as long as the person I’m speaking to won’t judge me too harshly.”

“Don’t worry what ever happened can’t be as bad some of the things I’ve done.”

“You have to be sure. Uriel.”

“I’m absolutely sure, Harbinger,” Uriel muttered.

Taking a deep breath in, Kodlak began with a fair amount of hesitation. “The Circle are all… werewolves.” He paused, watching for any reaction from Uriel. The Imperial man, while silent, didn’t show any sign of judgement. Kodlak continued. “It's just something that's been tradition for a few hundred years, but it's served us well for now. Jergen and I joined roughly at the same time and we rose through the ranks together. I became a member of the Circle before him. At that point, Vilkas and Farkas were just born and their mother, Ysra, didn’t want anything to happen to him.”

“What changed?”

“Eventually, Jergen just decided he needed to be a person his sons could look up to.”

“So he became a werewolf?”

“Yes, he did. It was the only way we would let him become a member of the Circle. He didn’t take to blood well and eventually he couldn’t face himself and ran away. No one’s seen hide nor hair of him since.”

Uriel paused for a moment, gazing at the ground. All of it seemed heavier than Kodlka initially led him to believe. “I’m assuming you've searched pretty hard for him already.”

“I did years and years ago to no avail. Since then I’ve tried to do right by his family. I still feel the guilt of pushing him towards the decision. If I didn’t maybe Jergen would still be here.”

‘What about you though?”

Kodlak looked back to Uriel as though he was asking for an answer. The Imperial man shrugged, “You’re the Harbinger. I assume you’re lycanthropic too.”

“Right,” Kodlak muttered, “I am. Every once in a while I’ll feel conflicted. But I don’t even think there would be a cure. At least not one that didn’t require an extravagant price.”

“What about the twins?”

“I’m not the only one in the Circle. Many of the others don’t feel the same as I do. If Vilkas and Farkas want to be Circle members, they’ll have to do the same as the rest of us. At least until I figure something out. It’ll take time though.”

Uriel took a deep breath in before pouring more alcohol into his cup. Kodlak stared at him while he waited to continue. The Imperial man spoke in an even toned voice, “That will have to be their decision to make in the end. But withholding a position in the Circle just because they don’t want to change their lives so drastically doesn’t sit well with me. It seems unfair.”

“I sort of figured.”

“Maybe I shouldn’t be so harsh.”

“No, it's probably for the best.” Kodlak took a forlorn glance at the yard in front of them. His eyes drifted across, counting the weaponry left out by careless Companions. Neither he nor Uriel said anything for a few minutes until Kodlak felt the curiosity eating at him. “You mentioned that you were in the Legion during the Great War?”

“Not necessarily. Before the war started, I was a Knight Commander for the Knights of the Nine in southern Cyrodiil. When thighs became dire for the Empire, we were called in as reinforcements.” Uriel took a shaky breath in and stared hard at the ground. “I should have just said no to the entire thing. That war was… There's no valid reason for that kind of violence.”

Kodlak caught Uriel’s gaze. The Imperial stared back at him wordlessly. Something about the man’s gaze gave Kodlak chills. It was as though Uriel could take one look at a person and know everything about them with just one glance. His eyes were haunting. And yet, they were also so desperate to live. 

Uriel had seen things he probably shouldn’t have.

“I agree. The Companions were called on at one point. My predecessor refused on the basis that too many had already perished.”

“I wish I had such foresight.” Uriel blinked. Sleep was just beginning to overtake him. “There was an incident during the war. I couldn't bring myself to agree with how the Empire was treating people so I disobeyed orders. By the time the war was over, I was forced to disband my order and my knights fled. I would have stayed and faced my fate but my Valleri had just been born and couldn’t bring myself to leave them.”

“What exactly did you do?”

“I was given orders to destroy farmland along Lake Rumare. The soil is especially fertile there and the Emperor didn’t want to leave anything behind for the Dominion when he ran. Farmers tried to defend themselves, but to no avail. We were ordered to cut down anyone who opposed us.”

Kodlak’s heart sank. “You tried to stop them?” Uriel hummed affirmatively. “And that’s what they wanted you for. What cowards.”

“In any case, that was the end of the Knights of the Nine. It's been almost seventeen years on and now we’re all scattered, just trying to survive while the Empire has a warrant out for our arrest.” 

“I’m assuming that's who you were visiting?”

“Aye. Wallace was one of my knights, my brother. Ulia and I have tried to keep track of everyone over the years. One of them was living in Markarth last I checked. I’m worried now that there seems to be more fighting going on.”

“When was the last time you heard from him?”

“It's been almost seven years now. He may have moved by now.”

Kodlak finished his drink, slamming the cup onto the table next to him. Surprised by the sudden noise, Uriel looked over with wide eyes. “Why not just go check? Markarth is only a few weeks away?”

“What about the border? Valleri and I are waiting for it to open soon enough.”

Kodlak waved a hand dismissively. “Bah! You said it yourself it was going to be a while until they would let you through. Why not just check while you’re still stuck here?”

“You make a good point,” Uriel muttered half to himself. He crossed his arms and leaned back into his chair. “You’re right, Kodlak. No time like the present.”

The older Nordic man rose from his seat, wearing a wide grin. “We’ll leave in the morning. Until then get some rest. It's a long ride.”

Uirel watched him disappear into the mead hall. His eyelids were growing heavy in the dark. Uriel took one last swig of the fruity alcohol before going inside himself. His thoughts turned to Valleri momentarily. She would panic if he was gone when she got back. But this was one of the only times he could find his old friend and not come under suspicion. Going to Markarth was his only choice. And Valleri would understand. 

At least he hoped she would.

Uriel fell into his bed and fell into a dreamless sleep in seconds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So its a new chapter! WHOOOO! I'm thinking I might just do away with this buffer chapter thing I've been doing. It might make for faster updates. Hey this is also a reminder to take care of yourselves, both physically and mentally.
> 
> Thanks for reading by the way! \^-^/


	6. Chapter Five: The Cabin

**4E 191 Midyear**

Uriel was nowhere to be found when Valleri made it back to Jorrvaskr. His pack was gone when she checked the room they’d been staying in. She stood frozen in the doorway, staring at the room with narrowed eyes. Everything was just gone. It was already late evening. If he’d gone out for the day, the older Imperial would have already been back.

With a huff, Valleri turned around and went to the bunk rooms downstairs. Vilkas was already down there, recovering from their trip to Rorikstead. If she was lucky, Kodlak would be there as well. Valleri found her friend sprawled out on his bed with a hand covering his eyes.

“Hey, my dad’s missing.”

“Maybe he’s just out for the day?”

“No. His stuff is gone. Like he just packed up and left.”

This time, Vilkas perked up, sliding his hand down to reveal the confusion on his face. Wordlessly he got up from the bed and pushed past Valleri into the hall. The Imperial followed him to Kodlak’s back office. He gave the room a cursory look before turning back to her. 

“Kodlak’s pack is gone too.”

“What in the world does that mean?”

“I dunno!”

Valleri wasn’t worried, just perplexed. She was about to speak up when Farkas unexpectedly poked his head into the office. “Yeah. The Harbinger was taking Uriel to Markarth. Something about checking up on one of Uriel’s friends,” Farkas started a matter of factly. The Imperial felt her stomach fall as she thought back to the old map Uriel mistakenly brought with them.

“And you didn’t think to maybe tell us that as soon as we got back?”

“Vilkas, I didn't even realize you were back. Gods…”

Valleri pushed past her friend to address Farkas. “How long have they been gone?”

“About a day or so. They’re gonna be gone for a few weeks.” 

Valleri could only sigh. Vilkas turned to her, arching an eyebrow. “You’re not mad?”

“No,” Valleri rubbed her temples, “Just a little miffed. Really, I should be surprised he didn’t leave sooner.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, he's got some more friends he hasn't seen in years up that way,” Valleri explained. She took a deep breath and started walking out of the room. “Well, thanks for helping me out anyways.”

Vilkas nodded silently before trying to step out of the room. He stopped when Farkas spoke up, “Hey don’t forget we promised mother we’d be by today.”

Both Valleri and Vilkas stopped where they were. In an instant, Vilkas slapped his face and any energy he had left drained from his face. “Shit. I completely forgot. When did we say we’d be back?”

Farkas shrugged. “Tonight technically.”

The shorter brother stared blankly ahead. “Can I get some sleep first?”

“I don’t see why not. It’ll be a late dinner though.”

Vilkas grumbled something Valleri couldn’t make out then went to his bunk room. He gave her a forced smirk before leaving that made Valleri’s heart sink. She turned to Farkas, “I thought you guys grew up in Whiterun,”

“Sort of? Mother lives a few hours out of town so it was in between. We promised we’d visit her every once in a while after we moved here.”

Valleri stole a glance down the hall. After a moment, she smiled at Farkas. “I think Vilkas had the right idea. Sleep sounds good right about now. I guess I’ll see you guys get back.”

With a sigh, Valleri continued upstairs. She heard Farkas mumbling something behind her but she didn’t bother to actually listen. The door to the back room seemed farther away than usual and each step was heavier than the one before. At least the bed was soft and warm. It didn’t take her long to fall asleep, hounded by warped visions of the past few days. 

Dreams filled with goats and giants passed away into a haze when she felt somebody shake her shoulder. Valleri groaned when they stopped. Her head refused to leave the pillow and she couldn’t seem to pry her eyelids open. Whoever was there kept shaking her awake. 

“Dad?” Valleri whispered as she finally flopped onto her side, staring at her company through sleep filled eyes. Her cheeks turned red when she watched Vilkas grimace. “I am so sorry. Are you guys leaving already?”

“Yeah. Get up.”

“What?”

“You’re coming with us.”

“What?”

“Farkas insisted you were going to get lonely if we just abandoned you here.”

“Farkas said what?”

Valleri watched her friend fume. “If you say what one more time…”

She grinned widely as she sat up from the bed, “What?” Vilkas was already smacking her upside the head when she laughed at her own horrible joke. Although to be fair, it was an irresistible dare. Valleri wiped some crust away from the corners of her eyes as she continued, “Wait, Vilkas, where am I going all of a sudden?”

“You’re coming back home with us so you don’t bored here. I unfortunately know what you’re like when you’re bored and I’m pretty sure the others don’t want to deal with it.”

Eyes falling on the window, she cringed. It was already pitch balck outside. “How long was I out?”

“A few hours.”

“What about my dad?”

Vilkas sighed, eyes darting around the room. “We’ll leave a note or something. He’ll know where to find you.”

Taking a deep breath in, Valleri stared out of the window for a second and resigned herself to the long walk she was about to go on. It took her no more than a few minutes to get her stuff packed up again and even less time to get out the door. Farkas was already waiting for them at the bottom of the stairs and gave her a short wave.

Valleri took a deep breath in as she met him. The night was chillier than she expected. Farkas didn’t seem to notice. 

“You’re coming too, huh?”

The young woman was almost blinded by Farkas’ enthusiasm. “Yeah, apparently? Vilkas didn’t give me much of a choice. “

Farkas shrugged without a word, eyes falling on Vilkas, who was finally coming out of Jorrvaskr. He said nothing to his companions, slouching as he walked. He must have slept worse than Valleri did. 

Considering how late it was in the evening, Valleri was surprised by the amount of activity in Whiterun. People were in and out of taverns and bars, looking for the next thing to drink or eat. Lanterns had been strung about from the rooftops, lighting up the streets. Valleri looked at the transformed town in awe. She almost didn't notice an inebriated older man crash into her. Panic filled her when the stranger was about to lean his arm around her. Before she knew it, Valleri felt someone else pull her close, refusing to let go of her hand.

“Stick close,” Vilkas muttered as he looked back at her with an exhausted stare. 

Valleri whispered a quick thanks, pretty sure her cheeks were flushed bright red. The sudden gesture made her feel just a little bit fluttery on the inside. Her mind seemed to fixate on their hands. She stared at the back of his head as he led her through the crowded streets, wondering what expression he wore as his hand seemed to tighten just a little. Everything else around her seemed to go fuzzy the longer they held hands. 

As soon as the trio made it past the city gates however, Vilkas let go of her hand, certain that she wouldn’t fall behind. The small flash of disappointment Valleri felt was unexpected. Valleri tried to put the thoughts out of her head. 

The night was still apparently young and they had a few more hours of walking to do. None of them said anything as they continued. At least by now, Valleri was more awake and much less likely to trip on a rock jutting out of the road. 

The field of stars above them disappeared behind trees as they went southwards, climbing up one steep hill after another. After a short time, her ankle began to stiffen up. The joint made it a little more difficult to walk and it was hard not to think about it. Strange noises came from the thick underbrush past the road. If Valleri was alone, she would have probably turned back. 

Vilkas eventually stopped and waited for Farkas and Valleri to catch up before turning down an overgrown path hidden by bushes. The Imperial’s eyes fell to the ground as she traversed the uneven terrain.

The two Companions seemed all too familiar with the path, leaving her behind. Valleri stopped in her tracks when she saw a clearing up ahead, dominated by a quaint looking cabin nestled against more conifer trees. There was a lit lamp by the front door, lighting up the front porch. A woman, with broad shoulders and a mane of wild black hair, stood up from her chair on the porch and regarded the brothers with a smirk. 

“You’re late.”

The grin of Farkas’ grew wider when he spoke, “Blame Vilkas. He overslept.” He gave his brother a sharp slap on the shoulder before running into the cabin.

The woman arched an eyebrow as her eyes landed on Vilkas. The young man grumbled quietly, “Exactly what he said. I didn’t get back from Rorikstead til this afternoon. Of course I overslept.” 

“At least you’re here now. That’s all that matters. Go on in before Farkas eats everything.” The woman turned to watch Vilkas go inside the house before she looked over her shoulder to see Valleri at the edge of the clearing. Her eyes narrowed when Valleri tried to smile and wave. She called back to Vilkas, “Hey, wait up a moment. Who followed you here?”

Vilkas stopped on the porch and gestured between the two of them. “Mother, that’s Valleri. Valleri, my mother.” Without saying anything else, he went inside, leaving the two women by themselves. 

Waving Valleri over, the woman tilted her head to get a better look. She hummed to herself before addressing the Imperial. “Are you another Companion?”

Valleri shook her head, still wearing that dumb faltering smile. “No, just a friend of Vilkas’”

“Oh, that’s new.” The woman smirked and gestured to the door. “Let's head in before they eat everything. You can call me Ysra by the way.”

Valleri’s anxiety seemed to lessen and she followed Ysra inside. In the kitchen was a table laden with freshly made food, still piping hot. Valleri salivated at the scene. She hadn’t seen a meal this well thought out since she left home. 

Vilkas and Farkas were already eating when Valleri sat down across from them. Ysra took the seat at the head of the table, slouching with an arm draped over the back. Her attention was directed to her sons, disappointed at their lack of table manners. Taking a deep breath in, she resigned herself to not caring. 

“So are you two going to tell me where you met Valleri? And perhaps why she’ s at my dinner table?”

Vilkas and Farkas exchanged a nervous glance. “She almost cracked her skull open on a rock,” Farkas muttered.

His brother continued, staring down at the table blankly, “And she almost broke my arm with a stick.”

Ysra grimaced then turned to Valleri for confirmation. The Imperial girl shrugged. “We met a month or so ago when my father and I were on our way to Solsthiem. We got stuck in Whiterun since they closed the border.”

“Where’s your father now?”

“Kodlak took him to Markarth on a field trip,” Vilkas explained through bites.

Ysra looked back to Valleri with an arched eyebrow. “He’s looking for a friend and didn’t tell me he was leaving.”

“Valleri was with me in Rorikstead when they left. We didn’t want her to get lonely.”

“Wonderful,” Ysra said with a disinterested tone. “Going to the Reach seems like a bad idea these days. What with all of the fighting and what not.”

Vilkas narrowed his eyes curiously, “Do you know what’s been going on over there?”

“Probably no more than you three,” the woman answered. She yawned and got up from the table. “It's late and as relieved as I am to see you’re both still in one piece, I’m tired. I’ll set up a cot in the basement for Valleri. Go to bed when you can.”

Valleri stayed silent as she watched Ysra leave the room. Vilkas and Farkas paid little mind, intent on finishing their meal. The Imperial didn’t eat much after Ysra left. The exhaustion she felt earlier in the day came rushing back, forcing Valleri downstairs.

Vilkas looked up from his plate when he heard Valleri clatter out of her chair. “Off to bed?”

She gave him a faltering grin. “Yeah. A lot happened today. I’d rather not think about it.”

“Well okay. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Valleri paused, meeting Vilkas’ eyes. She had never noticed that they were clear grey before. With a smile, Valleri answered him before leaving. “It’ll be hard not to.”

…

Valleri must have woken up late in the morning. Though it was impossible to tell in the dark basement. She whispered the one spell she knew and squinted in the sudden light that floated inches above her head. When she looked around the room, Valleri saw that Ysra was already out of bed. 

She sat up from bed with a groggy yawn. There were footsteps from upstairs. Valleri wasted no time throwing on some clothes and climbing the ladder up. Ysra greeted her in the kitchen with a curt nod.

“Am I late?”

“Late for what, Valleri?”

The Imperial rubbed her eyes. It was already light outside and Ysra was the only one in the house. “I dunno. Everyone was already up, so I just sort of figured.”

“Not at all. The boys didn’t get up until about an hour ago. I have no idea where they are now.” Ysra stopped and got up from her seat, “I can make you something to eat if you like.”

The Imperial grimaced as her eyes fell on the window looking out of the kitchen. “No, I’m good right now. Do you know here they went?”

“Who? Farkas and Vilkas?” Valleri hummed affirmatively. Ysra shook her head, making Valleri scowl just a little. With a sigh, Ysra put a kettle to boil and filled two mugs with a bitter smelling herbal mix. “It's just like them to drag you all the way out here then leave. I wouldn’t hold it against them.”

“I sort of figured. Besides this place doesn't seem too bad. It seems laid back.”

“Well, wait until the other two return. The house was always chaotic with them around.” The older woman came back to the table with the mugs of tea and placed one in front of Valleri. “I won’t complain though. I’ve missed them since they’ve been gone.”

“How long has that been?”

Ysra leaned back in her chair, staring at the tea with downturned eyes. “Farkas has been gone five months. Vilkas? Only three or so.” She watched Valleri narrow her eyes in confusion. Ysra laughed, “They were planning on moving to Jorrvaskr permanently together but Vilkas ended up breaking his arm before and was held back. Neither of them were particularly happy about it.”

Valleri spoke up again,still waiting for the tea to cool down. “It sounded like they’d been living at Jorrvaskr for a few years at least the way they told it.”

She only stared at Valleri for a moment before ysra broke down in laughter. “No, no, no. Not at all. They may have been taking on jobs but Kodlak and I agreed they would live with me before deciding what they wanted to do with their lives.”

“It's convenient they just went with the Companions then,” Valleri mused half to herself. Finally the tea was cool enough to drink and Valleri gulped. The dark liquid was strong and spicy, reminding Valleri of cardamom. 

“Perhaps. But just because it's the most obvious choice doesn’t mean it's the best choice.”

The younger Imperial scooted back after setting the mug back down on the table. “Vilkas mentioned a man named Jergen.”

“Oh? He did?” Valleri nodded her head wordlessly. Judging from Ysra’s astonished expression, Valleri hit a nerve and it made the Imperial anxious. After another moment, the woman’s astonishment softened into resignment. “I come from a large family in Windhelm. I didn’t agree with many of their ideals so I left and settled here. I met Jergen, who was a Companion at the time, shortly after that. We both agreed that I would stay here and he would stay at Jorrvaskr. The rest is history.”

“He also mentioned that Jergen left…”

This time, Ysra went stiff, face going blank. “Jergen did. The boys weren’t very old when he left. Jergen decided that he was going to take a chance and join the Circle. He didn’t take it well and ran away. It took us… some time to adjust to the new changes.” Ysra looked up from the table, this time wearing a wavering grin, “That’s neither here nor there, Valleri.”

Valleri still couldn’t calm herself down. The anxious feeling she got when she first asked Ysra about Jergen was now deeply rooted in her stomach and threatened to grow. She took another gulp of tea before faking a smile. The more she thought about it, the more Vilkas’ story made sense. 

“What about your family?”

Eyebrows knitting together, Valleri looked back to her company. “What about them?”

“There has to be something interesting about them as well. For instance, why are you in Skyrim if you’re from Anvil? Now is hardly a good time to travel.”

Just as she thought, the anxiety only got worse. Letting out a forced laugh, Valleri answered, “We were just visiting some of my dad’s relatives up in Solstheim. We met Kodlak on our way up and he invited us to stay at a Jorrvaskr while we got stuck here. There isn’t much to tell.”

Ysra saw right through her. She smirked before letting out an exasperated sigh. “If you say so, Valleri. If you say so.”

The comment form Ysra set Valleri off further. Suddenly feeling the need to escape, the Imperial chugged the rest of her tea before fleeing the kitchen. She barely gave herself enough time to get her cloak before going outside. At least it wasn’t cold out there. 

Valleri took a deep breath in before walking off in a random direction away from the cabin.

“Hey, Imperial!”

Recognizing the voice right away, Valleri turned around feeling just a little bit more relieved. Farkas and Vilkas were stopped by the front door, staring at her. At least Farkas was waving enthusiastically.

“There’s nothing interesting that way,” Vilkas explained. “Go south for a little bit and you’ll be able to see a lake.”

Valleri narrowed her eyes. “Thanks for the advice. But where in Oblivion did you two go?”

Vilkas grinned, running his hand through his hair. “Thursday is bath day.”

“Oh. Well trust me to wake up late again.” Valleri said nothing more and walked off in the direction her friend pointed her in. At least the sick feeling Ysra left her with was fast disappearing. Valleri stopped and turned back when Vilkas gave her shoulder a pat. He shot her a warm smile when she looked back. 

Vilkas watched the Imperial regard him with a final nod then disappeared into the brush. He and Farkas exchanged a confused look. His brother shrugged and went into the house where Ysra was waiting. 

“You brought a strange person back with you, Vilkas.”

“Oh?”

“I’m also surprised you told her about Jergen.”

The young Nord stopped, expression filling with guilt. “It just came up. She seemed like a trustworthy person.”

Ysra stared at him for a moment. Vilkas felt himself stop breathing under her scrutiny. Eventually the woman’s eyes fell to the table with a wistful smile. “I’ll trust your judgment this time.”

Her words still left a sour feeling in his mouth, but Vilkas tried not to think about it too much.

…

Three days passed at the cabin in relative peace. Valleri was always sure to rise early with the sun. Before anyone would be up, she’d leave and walk to her heart’s content. Valleri always made it back to Ysra’s cabin before dark. The evenings were usually filled with laughter, and the young Imperial would help clean up afterwards.

Almost no one would ask her too many questions, comfortable enough to go about their own business. 

On the third night, Valleri fastened her clock about her shoulders and slipped outside. It had been hours since the sun went down and the overcast skies hid much of the starlight. It was cold and dark, but Valleri was prepared. When the door was shut behind her, Vallleri whispered her spell and waited for the ball of light to float up above her. 

The door behind her clicked open and the Imperial jumped in surprise. In a flash, the magical light went out, leaving Valleri in the dark. Vilkas stared back at her through narrowed eyes. 

“What are you doing out here?”

Valleri looked up at the sky for a brief moment then glanced back at Vilkas. “Night walk. Maybe I’ll see something interesting.”

Without any warning, Vilkas slammed the door shut. Valleri sighed as she turned away disappointed then walked off. Finally, Vilkas sprinted out of the door, still trying to fasten his own cloak. He paused when he finally caught up to Valleri, fiddling with a lamp he was carrying. 

With a roll of her eyes, Valleri summoned her light. Vilkas watched it float up into the air with amazement. He turned to her, too awestruck for words. 

“It's the only spell I know. Mighty useful though, isn’t it?”

Vilkas shook his head, “What else are you keeping from me?”

The young woman laughed bitterly, “A lot more than you’d think.”

Neither of them said a thing as Valleri led them through the bushes. Eventually they came across a dirt path cutting through the forest Valleri found a day or two before. An hour into their trek, they came across the lakefront. Most of the shore was rocky, looking south towards Falkreath. The young Imperial woman had seen this exact lake before, but somehow it felt new again.

Valleri sat down on one of the rocks with a contented sigh. The water in front of her was calm and placid, reminding her of glass. Had the sky been clear, she was sure that the lake would have been quite the sight. Still in the night time it was unexpectedly pretty in the dark. Vilkas seemed happy enough to take a seat in the sandy dirt next to her. She barely heard him talking next to her. 

“Hey, can we finally start being honest with each other?”

Looking down at him, Valleri noticed the drawn back expression on his face. She felt herself scowl. “I thought we were?”

“No, I’m not entirely being honest. And I know for a fact that you aren’t either.”

Valleri felt herself go cold. She hated that she knew he was right. Bringing her legs close to her chest, Valleri rested her chin on her knees. “What do you propose then?”

“Be honest with each other.” He paused to note the exasperated expression on Valleri’s face. “I know, I know. It goes without saying.”

With another sigh, Valleri stretched her arms high above her head. She held them there a minute then let them down. Feeling a little less tense. “Fine. What do you want to know?”

“Who are you guys really? You and Uriel?”

Valler’s chest tightened. She grabbed onto Vilkas’ shoulder tightly, making him look back up to her with concern. “Look, you have to swear that you won’t tell anyone, okay?”

“Wait, what?”

“You either have to agree or not. I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t mean it,” Valleri pushed.

Vilkas nodded his head, “You have my word. No one else will know. I swear on my life.”

“You better give no reason to regret this.” The Imperial’s eyes went back to the lake, focusing on the mid distance. “My dad was a knight commander called in as reinforcements during the Great War. After a while, he started disregarding orders on the principles that it was doing more harm than good. Eventually, my dad picked a fight with the Legion.”

“What happened after?”

Valleri shrugged nonchalantly, “He was deemed a traitor to the Empire and there was a warrant out for his arrest. They’re still looking for him.”

“Then the people in Solstheim and the Reach?”

“Some of his knights from before the war. Mom and dad couldn’t bring themselves to abandon them to the Empire.”

“What about you? Are you going to do the same?”

Valleri bit her tongue while she thought. “I dunno yet. Dad’s been trying to keep some level of separation, but I probably will to some extent. Honestly, I don’t think it’s a choice I have.” Her gaze didn’t move from the lake in front of her. Vilkas mumbled something she couldn’t hear. But at least he didn’t seem scornful. She tilted her head, “What about you?”

“Hmm?”

“You said you weren’t being honest either. I’ve laid it all there. Your turn”

“Oh right… It was about Jergen.” Vilkas paused and dug his fingers into the dirt. Valleri could only wait patiently. Finally he spoke, slow and even. “I told you before that Jergen ran off.”

“Yeah I remember.”

“There’s a group of elite warriors in the Companions called the Circle. It's hard to get into, but there's a lot of respect and a good pay raise that comes with the position. Jergen and Kodlak were due for the promotion at the same time. But Ysra asked Jergen not to go through with it and he did for some time.” Vilkas looked up to Valleri with an arched eyebrow, “Wanna guess what happened?”

Chuckling to herself, Valleri answered, “He became a part of the Circle?”

“Exactly. That's when he had a breakdown and ran away.”

“Is it a stressful position or something?”

“No, not really. He, uh… he turned into a werewolf. Its tradition that in order to become a member of the Circle you have to--”

“Become a werewolf?”

“Yeah.”

Valleri narrowed her eyes, “I’m really sorry. I don’t mean to put the entire situation down, but it does sound a little like a fairy story.”

“Much like the Captain of the Guard being wanted for treason against the Empire.”

“You’ve got a point there.” Valleri looked back to her friend. The grin he was wearing only moments before was gone and replaced with forlorn stare over the lake. The young Imperial took a deep breath in. “And what about you?”

“I told you before, Val. Being a Companion is just something I've always wanted to do. Being a Circle member is just a part of it.”

“You’d seriously become a werewolf just for that? Even knowing all the risks?”

“Absolutely.” 

“Well,” Valleri started quietly before taking a brief pause. “I’m not even going to pretend I understand. It also seems like it all depends on how well you take it.”

“My mother is worried about the same thing, you know. She doesn’t want Farkas and I to end up like Jergen.”

“I’m not surprised.” By now, Valleri was shaking her head with a large grin. “But your drive is kind of… admirable. I don’t think I’ve ever met another person who’d risk everything like that.”

With a flat tone, Vilkas rebuffed her, “You’re joking.”

“No! I’m not! I swear,” the Imperial insisted. She shot her friend a wide, toothy smile. “I just genuinely hope it all works out. I really mean it, Vilkas.”

She watched the Nord’s expression soften from annoyance to something she couldn’t quite describe. Before Valleri realized it, his cheeks flushed red and his eyes darted back to the lake. Valleri continued, “Even if things don’t quite work out, you won’t be completely alone. Farkas and I are here. Hopefully.”

With a sigh, Vilkas got up from the ground and dusted himself off. “I’ll keep you to your word, Val. Promise?”

“Promise.”

“We should get back. It’s getting late.” With that, Vilkas offered his hand to Valleri. With a final smirk, she took it and the two of them made the trek back to the cabin. All the while Valleri felt a little warmer on the inside. 


	7. Chapter Six: Bodies

**4E 191 Sun’s Height**

Uriel focused on placing one foot in front of the other as he made his way through the Reach. He left a small note for Valleri before he left, but whether she found it or not was an entirely different matter. It was a small bit of paper and it wasn’t as though he cleaned the room before leaving. The note would be easy to miss. 

Even if she did know why he was leaving, Valleri would still worry. There was nothing more for it but to continue.

He and Kodlak had been heading west for at least a week. Most of the time, the friends set camp out on the road, sharing both a roaring fire and smoking pipe. So far, Uriel wasn’t unhappy about his decision to look for his friend. 

As far as he could remember, his friend, an orcish man by the name of Brokil, settled in the Reach almost ten years before, happy enough to settle near his very distant relations. If he was actually happy or not, Uriel wasn’t sure. 

All he knew was that Brokil wasn’t fond of either the Nords or the Empire. If there was fighting going on between the two groups Brokil wouldn’t last long. Uriel remembered him being a brash fiery man who acted before he thought. Uriel feared the worst.

The map he’d brought from home was old and ratty but at least it had the location of Brokil’s house. It looked as though it had been perched on top of a mountain southeast of Markarth. If Uriel remembered correctly, it was next to some old ruins once inhabited by the Reachmen, well out of the way of most people. 

On the seventh night, Kodlak retired early. Uriel was left to his lonesome, staring at the map in his hands. The mark that represented Brokil’s house was faded to a light brown, barely visible against the aged paper. 

Memories of brash Brokil and the rest of the knights swirled in the old man’s mind as he stared at the paper. The time before the war was peaceful with few distractions. Sometimes they’d face goblins or occasionally a land dreugh. But facing men and mer was something else entirely. Not something he and his men were prepared to do. Harsh reality reared its ugly head and even now Uriel was dealing with the consequences.

The Imperial man looked up from his map when he heard Kodlak rise from the ground. Narrowing his eyes, Uriel attempted to listen for whatever woke his friend up. One thing he learned was that he could trust Kodlak’s keen sense of perception. The old Nord explained that the abilities were just another aspect of his lycanthropy. Not that it mattered at the present moment.

Uriel’s gaze followed Kodlak, leading him to a small pass coming from the mountains to their right. It sounded like… people coming their way. They were armored people by the sounds of metal and leather clanking coming from the same direction. In another moment, Uriel saw light emanating from torches, illuminating the surrounding area. At least ten Imperial legionaries were coming towards them.

The legionaries slowed their approach when they noticed the two travelers. The captain, as denoted by his opulent helm, held his men back before taking a step closer to Uriel and Kodlak. He spoke with a thick Chorral accent that made Uriel cringe when he hit certain consonants too hard. The added bravado didn’t help particularly much either. “Hold! What are you two doing out here? Are you with the Reachmen or the Nords?”

Kodlak and Uriel exchanged a tired, confused look. The older Nord turned back to the captain, standing just a little straighter. “Neither. We’re looking for an old friend who used to live in these parts.”

One of the legionaries spoke up from the back, “They certainly don’t look like Reachmen.”

“Shut up, Davide. No one asked you.”

“No, no. Davide’s right. And so are we.”

The captain’s brows knitted together. “Don’t you two have any idea what we’re doing here?”

Uriel shook his head, “No, not really. All we know is that there's enough going on here to close the border.”

The captain looked over to Kodlak for an answer. The Nord shrugged. With a ragged sigh, the captain pinched the bridge of his nose before explaining. “We were sent here to stop an insurrection. The Reachmen are trying to get Markarth and the Nords are threatening retaliation. It's a right mess.” 

Kodlak crossed his arms as he answered. “It seems that way. Is this because of the Markarth Incident a few years ago?”

“Look, I don’t know what that is. All I know is that I have to clear out the Reachmen before the Nords get to them.”

“Well, then maybe you’ll let us get some rest before the sun comes back up?” Uriel questioned, arching an eyebrow. 

“May as well. Just be careful trying to find your friend. The Reachmen are adept wizards and cause a lot of damage when they think you’re a threat. Just… be careful,” the captain warned. Wasting no time, he whistled and waved his men further on into the night. 

Kodlak rolled his eyes with a grin before sitting back down on the ground. “His advice will be well taken.”

“Yeah, sure. I’m curious though.” Uriel paused, eyes landing back on the fire. “Technically the Reachmen and the Orcs were here first. Why bother coming here in the first place?”

“Who? The Nords?”

“Yeah.”

“The pull was the land. The hills are full of metal and there’s plenty of fertile land. The ancient Nords were obsessed with it. And when you have the power take something…”

“What a waste. What a waste…” Uriel muttered. He heard Kodlak huff as he settled back onto the ground. Soon enough, the Nord was snoring loudly enough to scare off a bear. The Imperial man was too caught up in his own head to sleep. Perhaps in a while.

…

The air was strangely wet when the old Imperial woke up. Everything was still settled under a blanket of darkness, but just over the furthest peaks, Uriel saw the sun finally rising. With that he made the realization that he hadn’t slept all that much. 

Kodlak was already kicking out the previous night’s fire when Uriel got up off the ground. Pathetic wisps of smoke rose from the ashes. With an acceptable amount of disappointment, Uriel resigned himself to eating later in the day. With a groan, Uriel rose to his full height and stretched his arms above his head to work out any kinks in his muscles. 

“How much longer till we get to find that house we’re looking for?” Kodlak asked halfheartedly.  
  
Uriel had the map memorized by now, but he unrolled it anyway. Kodlak probably had no actual idea what the route looked like. He pointed to the light brown dot he’d been fixated on for the past week, “Right there. We’ll have to trek a little bit I’m afraid.”

“As long as you’re good with cliffs you’ll be fine. Just one thing worries me.”

“Oh?”

“It's a lot farther from civilization than I thought it would be. And I think that's where most of the fighting has been taking place.”

Uriel felt his heart sink. Without a warning he rolled his map back up and placed it back in his bag. The man laughed unsteadily. “That's a good point. But we didn’t come all the way out here to just turn back.”

Kodlak said nothing and with that the two of them started back to the road. The rock face to their right grew shorter as the two travelers continued westwards. The river also seemed to edge nearer and nearer. Soon enough, the water flowed only a few yards away from Uriel’s feet. It threatened to take him away should he fall in. But the Imperial’s pace was steady and he was sure he wouldn’t fall. 

Only a few hours later, Uriel motioned for Kodlak to follow him off the road. There was a path leading up the mountain heading north. If he was lucky, that path would take them to the top. From there they’d find access to Brokils’ house. At least that's what Uriel believed was the case. 

The path was a lot steeper than Uriel realized. It was a lot muddier too. In minutes his boots were weighed down beyond comfort and each step was harder than the last. As old as he was, the Imperial still had some energy left. He’d be out of breath when he reached the top, but Uriel would be at the top. 

The view from the top of the hill was clear. Urile paused, looking all around himself for miles. From his vantage point, Uriel just barely saw Brokil’s shack tucked against some large rocks. The sight of the small building did lift a weight from his shoulders. It took only about another hour for Uriel and Kodlak to reach the shack.

He shouldn’t have been surprised to see the shack in shambles. The shack was smaller than Wallace’s home, only enough for a moth eaten bed and a stove. A good portion of the roof was collapsed in, letting the rain and snow into the building. The wooden beams supporting what was left were covered in moss and lichen.

Uriel knew the moment he set eyes on it that the shack had been long abandoned. If his friend left anything behind, it would be difficult to find in the mess.

A moldy dust plume rose in the air when Uriel busted the door open with his shoulder. He coughed loudly, receiving a laugh from his Nordic friend.

“Are you sure this is the place?”

Uriel took a deep breath in, searching the house for anything familiar. Stepping into the threshold Uriel caught sight of an old rusted sword hung up on the back wall. He narrowed his eyes. The hilt was exactly the same as the ones in the Chapel of the Nine. 

“It is the right place,” Uriel whispered to himself. With a sigh, the weight was placed right back on the Imperial’s shoulders. The look of concern on his face must have been obvious. Kodlak gave him a hard slap on the back, bringing Uriel back to the present. 

“Maybe he left something more substantial behind?”

Clicking his tongue, the older Imperial shook his head. Most everything in the house was destroyed and unusable. “No, just the sword. But that too has been abandoned for years. Brokil’s just gone.”

“Any idea where he might have gone? Maybe one of the strongholds?”

Uriel turned to Kodlak, with a look of absolute exhaustion on his face. “Brokil left his stronghold when he was young. From what he told me, the chieftain wasn’t particularly welcoming after that.”

“So he’s just--”

“Gone,” Uriel cut Kodlak off. “His sword is still here so he’s probably passed onto whatever the orcish afterlife is." He sat down on one of the fallen support beams and held his head in his hands. The man breathed in and out as evenly as he could. Maybe he shouldn’t have been so shocked Brokil was gone given the circumstances. 

Kodlak’s expression turned serious as he finally stepped into the threshold of the rundown shack. “Are you alright there?”

Uriel laughed and waved him off, wearing a lopsided smile. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just needed a moment. It’s just… It's just a little overwhelming.”

“It's still early but maybe we should stay here for the night? It's a long trip back to Jorrvaskr. So what’s another day?”

The Imperial man sighed and his smile deepened. “You’re probably right, Harbinger.” He got up from his seat on the fallen beam, stretching. His eyes landed on the rusted sword hanging on the wall. No one lived here anymore but a few skeevers and some bugs. No one would mind. “Just for tonight though.”

“Of course,” Kodlak agreed. “I’ll go get something to eat. It might be beneficial to meditate here for a while.” 

Kodlak gave his friend a sharp slap on the shoulder before exiting the shack. Uriel didn’t say anything. Instead his mind was busy thinking about Brokil. From what he could remember, Brokil said very little and tended to put more stock into actions rather than words. Maybe that's why they got along so well and why Brokil was one of the first to back him up during the war. 

Brokil’s decision to move closer to the orc strongholds was confusing considering how he left. But Uriel wasn’t keen on questioning him as long Brokil was smart and safe about where he settled. In hindsight, Uriel regretted not trying to keep up with him more. 

And now, the man was most likely dead. And he could have been killed by anything. Injuries and diseases were always more dangerous out here. In the case that Brokil broke his leg like Wallace had, he probably wouldn’t have made it long. There was also the possibility he’d been killed by bandits or animals. 

Uriel shook his head, trying to get himself out of his depressive funk. He resolved himself to hope that Brokil died relatively peacefully and that was that. There was no need to linger on the thought any further. 

It was a few more hours until Kodlak came back with some hares. Uriel was able to prepare a simple stew with the hares and some wild greens he found behind the shack. At least there was pot left over in the shack as well. Dinner was a quiet affair and it didn’t take long for all of the stew to disappear. The food wasn’t great but it was filling and it was all Uriel needed for the time being. 

Kodlak was the first to speak after he finished his portion of the meal. “Should we hold a ceremony of some sorts before we leave in the morning?”

Uriel paused, putting his bowl down onto the ground next to him. “May as well.”

“He was an orc right?”

Shrugging, the Imperial continued, “He was but I don’t have any clue what sort of ceremonies the orcs hold for their dead.”

Kodlak’s eyebrows furrowed as he put his hands on his hips. “You knew him better than I did.”

“Well… he was a stubborn man who acted before he thought.” Uriel tilted his head, catching a glance at the inky black sky. The darkening atmosphere seemed fitting. “He was one of my better friends from the war. I feel like over the last decade I’ve abandoned him. It’ll be a long repentance.”

There was a moment of silence and all Uriel could do was stare at the abandoned shack in front of them with a steely narrowed gaze. A sticky feeling crawled up his spine and settled on his shoulders. He could have done more. Uriel Hayn should have done more.

And now his friend was dead.

“The best way you can do that is to live as fully as you can.”

The Imperial man looked up to his side to see Kodlak also staring at the shack. Slowly the Nord turned to look at him, a wide grin growing on his face. Kodlak continued, “You already are repenting if you think about it. You’re doing as much as you can for your old comrades and you’re raising your children into people who’ll fight tooth and nail for their convictions. You’re doing better than most other people.”

Uriel’s blank expression lingered for another few moments before he felt himself just barely begin to smile again. Kodlak was grinning from ear to ear. Uriel didn’t expect the weight to lift from his shoulders, but it did. 

“Maybe we should leave now.”

One of Kodlak’s eyebrows arched. “In the dark?”

“It feels fitting. We should let Brokil rest for now. It's been enough time.” He paused and tilted his head, “Besides, getting back down that hill should be the least of our worries if we’re to listen to that Legion captain”

Uriel heard Kodlak chuckle to himself. The older man shook his head before starting back down the way they came. A nagging feeling settled in the Imperial’s stomach as he took only a few steps away from the shack. Uriel stole a glance over his shoulder. Without thinking too much, he ran back and grabbed the rusted excuse of a sword from the wall. The Imperial wrapped it up in cloth and slipped it into his pack.

Brokil wouldn’t have minded now. 

The old Imperial had to rush to catch up to Kodlak. He found the Harbinger at the bottom of a small hill staring out over the valley where they had started that morning. Kodlak was focused on a red hue in the distance, dancing on the horizon and casting ominous shadows over the craggy rocks. 

“Looks like a bad skirmish,” Kodlak mused mostly to himself. 

Without any warning to his friend, Uriel rushed down to the road towards the flames. He could think of nothing else as he navigated streams and rocks. After what felt like an eternity Uriel finally found the scene. Fur tents were scattered about the camp burning red with fire. Bodies were strewn about the place. Some of them were armoured in Legion gear while others were adorned with skins and leather, covered in beautifully intricate tattoos. Each one of them was hacked and torn to smithereens. Their blood turned the ground red and sticky. 

Stomach gurgling, Uriel turned from the sight immediately. Tears welled up in the corner of his eyes. He grabbed onto a nearby stone to anchor himself. All he could think about were the memories of burning fields and dead farmers all warped and tattered like the bodies behind him. 

Despite every effort, the Imperial man couldn’t move from his spot on the edge of the camp. His throat constricted and all he could do for himself now was to try to breathe. But if he could, Uriel would have ran. He would have ran all the way to the border, never looking back.

“Uriel!”

The familiar yell made him look up, finally pulling Uriel back to his reality. He stared back at Kodlak through wide panicked eyes. Everything in the periphery in his vision was still black. Uriel’s mouth was a tight frown, refusing to speak.

“Is everything okay? What happened?”

Uriel only shook his head and forced himself to look down at the ground. Kodlak took another look at the Imperial before moving past him and into the middle of the camp. The Harbinger took stock of what happened, silent all the while. Uriel shut his eyes tightly in a meager attempt to block out of the sight of the carnage. 

“We should go. There’s nothing left here.” Kodlak yelled, coming up behind Uriel and laying a heavy hand on his back. “Uriel?”

“I… I just need a minute,” the Imperial stammered through uneven breaths. He gulped hard then looked up finally. The flames continued to light up the camp, illuminating the leftovers. Shaking his head, Uriel took one last look back then started towards the roads. “I’m sorry. I can’t seem to get a hold of myself any longer.”

Kodlak lingered a few feet behind, keeping close eyes on the stumbling man. “We’ll be back to Jorrvaskr in a few weeks.”

There were a few moments of heavy silence before Uriel turned fully to face Kodlak. “I can’t stand to be here any longer, Kodlak.” He paused, noting the calculating look on the Nord’s face. “I’ve been away from home for too long. As soon as we get back to Whiterun, I’m taking Valleri back across the border whether it's open or not. I have to go home.”

“You’re a fool, Uriel.”

He felt a sad smile grow on his face when he spoke. “I know, Kodlak. I know.”

…

Ulia stared out of the kitchen window, focusing on the vines that hung from the top of the sill. In the distance she watched Marco weeding one of the garden boxes, utterly focused on his task. It had been a while since things were this quiet. It was unsettling to Ulia. Her home was usually much busier. But it had been silent for too long.

The kettle in front of her hissed and the woman panicked as she removed it from the stove. Steam rose from the pair of mugs she poured the water into. The smell of herbs and citrus filled the room as she put the tea to steep then carried it into her parlor room across the hall.

An older Altmer man regarded her with a friendly nod when she walked in. Ulia put on a forced smile, “I wasn’t expecting any company this morning so I have to apologize for not receiving you properly.”

The Altmer shook his head, “No, it was my fault for coming over without warning. I finally had a break in my work and didn’t put much thought into this. Madame Hayn--”

“Ulia, please.”

“Right, of course. I’m actually here partly on business. I believe you met my ward, Lexius, a short while ago.” The Imperial’s brow knitted together with curiosity as the Altmer continued. “He may have told you I was here for research.”

“Lexius did mention that. He never told me what on.”

The Altmer grinned as his eyes fell to the ground. “I’m not surprised. I’m the head of an archeological company with ties to the Synod in the Imperial City. We work mostly in Ayleid ruins.”

“I’ll be honest, I know little to nothing about the Ayleids.”

“Most people are the same. Originally my work took place in the ruins north of Chorrol. But there was an incident at Arcane University and I opted to move my work here on the Gold Coast. My only problem is that I really have little idea where to begin.”

Finally Ulia took a seat, eyes focused on the Altmer sitting across from her. He took a sip of his tea before going on. “I’ve asked around town and it seems there’s only one person who’s interested enough to already have done some previous exploration in the ruins.”

Finally the Altmer finished, attention drifting back to his hostess. Immediately she knew what he was about to ask. Ulia sighed, “Oh, Val. I’m sorry sir, but my daughter has been on an extended trip up north. And then when she gets back Valleri has some other duties to attend to.”

“That’s all right. I was only here to get an idea if she would be interested in an apprenticeship. And even then, Lexius and I need a guide into the ruins. If she’s the only one who’s able to do that it might be beneficial to both parties.”

“Well, if you put it that way…”

The Altmer grinned, “Do you know when she’ll be back?”

Ulia pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. “She and my husband were supposed to be back in town a few weeks ago.”

“Where were they traveling?”

“In Skyrim. If something’s holding them up I wouldn’t know. I should have expected delays honestly.” Ulia’s thoughts drifted back to Uriel for a moment before she turned back to the Altmer next to her with a smile. “Regardless, if you want to take Valleri on as an apprentice, you’ll have to talk to her directly. She may be my own daughter but she is also her own person.”

“Exactly the kind of person I’m looking for then,” the Altmer stated with a grin. 

“You know I don’t believe I ever quite got your name.”

The Altmer looked back at her with momentary astonishment. Suddenly he stood up from his seat and shot Ulia a proud smirk. “I can’t believe I’ve forgotten. My name is Alastaros Alastarim of the Alastarim Archeological Company. It’s been a pleasure finally meeting you, Ulia. I should probably let you carry on with the day however.”

Ulia caught a glance outside of the window, finally noticing how bright it was outside. The time had slipped away from her. “Oh, right. Of course. I’ll show you out.”

Saying nothing, Ulia led her visitor through the maze-like halls of her home and stood to the side as she held the door open. Alastaros paused for a second as he descended the front steps. “I would like to get to know you better honestly. Ulia, you and your family are welcome to Skeeva and I’s home anytime. Just let us know.”

Without another word, Ulia leaned against her front door and watched him walk down the street. She smirked to herself as she thought on the impromptu visit. The newcomer seemed genuine at least.

Ulia had done well in Anvil since her return at the end of the war. She was a useful member of the community with an impressive reputation. But also since her return she’d been living a lie. Everyone seemed to have known about how she ran away from the life her brother chose from her. But it was never talked about. It wasn’t proper. And all the while, the whispers and rumors were isolating.

But here was someone who still had no idea what happened. Nor did they seem to care.

The woman lingered for another moment before going back in.

Maybe it was time she made a new friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot author notes at the end of last chapter!! So I'm putting one now before I forget. Thank you bunches for the wonderful comments they mean the world to me!! Also things are getting busy with the semester again and it might be tough to get new chapters out. Thanks for sticking with me though ^-^
> 
> Thanks for reading!!!!


	8. Chapter Seven: Goodbyes

**4E 191 Sun’s Height**

It was easy to forget about everything going on outside of the small forest Ysra called home. Valleri spent most of the past four weeks making the most of her time in the middle of nowhere. Things were quiet and none of no one else really cared when she came or went as long as she showed up at the end of the day. If things were this peaceful in Anvil, maybe she would have gotten more done. 

Regardless, the fact that Uriel was still in the Reach and that she wouldn’t be able to head home until everything was cleared up just made her heart sink. Reality was butting its head into Valleri’s rose tinted dream. 

Valleri found herself wandering more and more northwards during her daily walks with each passing day. 

It was raining heavily when Valleri finally worked up the nerve to leave Ysra’s cabin. It hadn’t stopped raining in days. Valleri tried to stay indoors for as long as she could, but there was only so much she could do to keep herself occupied. 

She breathed in deep when she stepped outside. Cold wind buffeted her face and the rain drops stung her skin. Still, Valleri found herself frozen in place, enjoying the fresh air she suddenly found herself in. Her eyes snapped open and Valleri started on down the now familiar path leading away from the cabin. When she was halfway to the road, Valleri stepped into the brush and headed west. 

Carefully, Valleri navigated her way through the bushes and trees, stopping for absolutely nothing. Branches smacked her arms and face, covering her in water. In only minutes, the outer layer of cloak and boots were soaked through. Valleri continued. 

Only an hour had passed when Valleri finally saw the first signs of the road going to Markarth. Small bits of aged cobblestones poked from out of the ground. The bushes grew closer to the ground. Valleri paused when she came to the edge of the road, staring westwards with a down cast expression. 

It would be so easy for her to go to Markarth. It would be so easy for her to go see if Uriel was okay.

Valleri had no idea how long she’d been staring at the road. By the time she thought about it, she was completely soaked. Her hair was plastered to her face and neck and dripping down the back of her neck. Coldness seemed to seep into her bones. But all of it seemed pushed into the periphery. 

She hadn’t heard from her family in Anvil for almost two months. And Uriel left suddenly without a word. The longer she stood in the rain, the lonelier she felt. Her chest tightened the more she lingered on the thought. Without thinking, Valleri took a step down the road.

And Valleri didn’t stop. 

Her head emptied as she walked. The sound of the rain around her seemed to lull the young Imperial into a comfortable sense of security. She wouldn’t have been too upset with herself if she never stopped. The walk was the only thing that eased her mind. 

The first thing she heard were heavy shoes hitting wet pavement approaching her quickly. Valleri froze in her tracks. The only thing Valleri could remember was that she was heading towards the Reach. Slowly, the Imperial turned around.

Relief filled her when she saw a familiar figure running at her at full speed. Vilkas didn’t even have his cloak on but there he was anyway. If it was disappointment or actually genuine concern on his face, Valleri couldn’t tell. 

When he came to her side, Vilkas paused to catch his breath. He ran a shaky hand through his hair. “Valleri, what are you doing? I tried calling out to you. You weren’t answering.”

Valleri’s eyes darted from the way she was heading back to her friend. Suddenly she felt very lost. “I… I don’t really know. I had this feeling that if I went this way maybe I’d see my dad.” Valleri’s eyes landed on Vilkas’ face. His blank expression did nothing to make her feel less vulnerable. “It sounds silly. I know,” Valleri forced a smile and waved him off. ‘Just forget it.”

Vilkas did nothing but stare down at her for what felt like forever. His face softened before he glanced down the road. “No, its not stupid. Not at all. Uriel's family. It makes complete sense to me that you would be out here looking for him. But we should come out here another day when it's not so wet.”

The Imperial wordlessly nodded her head in agreement. The fog she was in was blowing away. Everything felt real again and Valleri found herself entranced by the person in front of her. Vilkas almost didn’t seem to notice her staring at him. He was about to start walking down the road when the drizzle around them turned to a pouring rain. 

Valleri’s attention turned to the sky in astonishment. For absolutely no reason she could find, Valleri burst out laughing. Vilkas gave her a confused grin before he took her hand. The both of them ran into the bushes, but even the leaves and branches couldn’t shield them from the sudden downpour. 

Vilkas led the young woman to an old stone mound similar to the ones they’d explored on the plains, covered in lichen and moss. He pulled her into the inner walls of the ruins. The stones protected them from the rain but the sound of drops hitting the walls resounded around them. 

Leaning against the wall, Valleri’s smile grew as she fought to catch her breath. She almost didn’t notice Vilkas’ hand reaching to undo her cloak clasp. The garment came loose and fell to the ground.

“We’re both soaked,” the Imperial mused half to herself. She pushed her hair out of her face only to watch the damp strands fall back into her face.

“We’re both going to get sick if we stay out like this.” The Nord glanced outside. He shook his head with disappointment. “It looks like the rain’s not going to let up for a while.”

“Stay here then?”   


“We don’t have much of a choice.”

“Well if that’s the case, then I’m not going to complain.”

“Hey, Val?” Vilkas paused, listening to the young woman’s affirmative hum. “Are you looking forward to leaving? Is that why you were out here?”   


There was a bitter wrenching feeling in her chest. “Just a little. Don’t get me wrong, I like it here. And I’m tired of moving constantly. I think if I knew that my dad was safe, I could stay here for just a little longer.” She paused to take a deep breath in. “I feel like I never stop to catch my breath. But if the people I cared about were safe I think I would stand still for a bit.” 

Valleri shook her head with entertained exasperation and Vilkas wasn’t answering her. She took a bit of string from her pocket and pulled her bangs out of her face, eyes drifting to the ground as she did so. When her hair was secure in its place, she looked up.

Oddly enough, she found Vilkas looking at her with wide, bright eyes. What he was searching for, Valleri could never be sure. Her breath hitched in her throat and she refused to move like a deer caught in a light. She watched his expression turn to realization and the spell broke. Vilkas turned away, staring hard at the ground, face flushed. 

Without realizing it, Valleri’s hand went out to the side, searching for anything. Her heart leapt from her chest when her fingers interlocked with Vilkas’. Nothing was said between them when they tightened around each other.

Closing her eyes, Valleri listened to the rain hitting the ancient stones that sheltered them and basked in the warmth of the person next to her. She hoped deep down, almost guiltily, that they could have stayed there forever. 

…

The rain passed that afternoon, but the clouds that hid the starry sky persisted. Ysra had been waiting for them on the porch, smoking a pipe and rocking in her chair. She arched an eyebrow silently when she noticed how soaked through the both of them were. Not thirty minutes later Vilkas and Valleri’s clothes were hanging up next to the hearth to dry. Ysra met Valleri in the basement to find some clothes to lend to her while the young woman used an old towel to dry her hair. 

The older woman must have noticed the absent minded expression on Valleri’s face. She spoke in a quiet voice as she laid a well used green dress on the bed next to Valleri. “Was everything okay out there? Vilkas was worried you might have gotten lost when we realized that you’d gone out.”   


Valleri gave her a tired smirk, “Yeah, everything was fine. I was just missing home a little bit.”   


“Well, I am a little relieved that you came back unscathed. Come up when you get hungry. The stew was almost ready last I checked.”

Without a word, Valleri nodded her head and watched Ysra climb the stairs up. Valleri ran her fingers through her hair one last time before slipping the garment over her head and shoulders. The linen fabric hung loose around her torso. She took a spare belt and tied it tight about her waist before following Ysra upstairs. 

The young woman paused at the top of the ladder when she heard the small family laughing and talking as they got their food.

“I was surprised you even went outside at all today.”   


“Rain isn’t all that bad, Farkas. You’d know if you kept your collar up to keep the back of your shirt dry.”

“Low blow, Vi.”   


“Vilkas, don’t egg him on too much. And Farkas, he has a point. You tack mud and dirt all over my floors when it rains. I swear everyday, I think I might like Valleri most out of you three. At least she wipes her boots before comes in.”   


“Hey, that’s not fair either.” 

“Maybe you should try to keep my floors clean, Farkas.”

Valleri stopped listening but she poked her head further up only to see them at the table. They just… they looked so warm. Valleri felt her face melt into a grimace. As quietly as she could, Valleri walked past the kitchen door and back outside. 

She still heard the voices of the people inside but they were muddled whispers. Valleri didn’t have the energy to parse out what they were saying. But that was the reason she went out in the first place. Valleri didn’t feel as though she belonged in that room. Maybe in a few minutes, but not now. 

Taking a seat on the porch, Valleri placed her hands on the tops of her knees. Slowly her eyes fluttered closed, allowing her to focus on the sounds of crickets and squirrels in the trees. Without thinking Valleri hummed a tune, mirroring the beat of the conversation inside. 

She had no idea how much time passed languidly like this. It could have been hours. Valleri couldn’t bring herself to care all that much. But her smile deepened when Vilkas came out to join her on the porch. The Nord didn’t say much, seemingly content just to sit next to her.

Valleri opened her eyes and she gave him a lopsided grin. “I figured it was only a matter of time before you came out here.”   


“Am I becoming that predictable?”   


“I think you always were, Vilkas,” Valleri continued. She watched her friend roll his eyes as he stood up from his seat on the porch steps. Vilkas went to the far end of the porch, stepping onto the railing to hoist himself up onto a low hanging roof. Valleri’s eyes went wide, “What in Oblivion are you doing?”   


Vilkas groaned before he stood up on the roof. “I know for a fact you’re gonna follow me up here cause you can’t stand being the only one not taking a risk.” He tilted his head with a distracted smile, “Besides the view is much better up here and no one will bother us.”   


Valleri hated that she knew he was right and Vilkas was being a little smug about it. But she did follow him up anyways. Vilkas made it look a lot easier getting up on the roof and Valleri cursed her shorter legs. After a moment of floundering, Vilkas offered her a hand, pulling the Imperial up in a single fluid motion. Valleri dusted her skirt off then turned to look around the clearing from the higher vantage point. Not much looked too different, but there was some novelty to being so high up off the ground. 

“Hey are you feeling a little less frazzled now?”   


Valleri turned to face her friend with confusion, “Frazzled?”   


“Well, maybe that’s not quite the word. But maybe you get it?”

“Yeah, no I’m fine. It's just been a weird day I think. I just miss home a little. Mom’s probably worried sick that we’ve been held up.”   


“Is she prone to worrying or something? You’d sort of expect delays like this when traveling.”   


Valleri shrugged. “My mom’s been through a lot. She’s gotten better over time but she’ll always be cautious I think.”   


“What’s she like?”   


“My mom?”

Vilkas laughed to himself, taking a seat on the roof slats. “How’d she meet Uriel then?”   


“Oh, that’s a story and half,” Valleri muttered to herself. “You probably wouldn’t believe it if I told you.”   


“Well the one about Uriel being wanted by the Empire seemed a little out there. How bad could this be?”

Valleri shook her head. She laid down on the slats nex to Vilkas. Shutting her eyes, Valleri started with a wistful grin, “My mom is the late Lady Ulia Umbranox of Anvil. Her father was the Count of Anvil and when his wife died, he passed that title onto his son. The son arranged for my mother to be married to a Lord Ferro who lived in the countryside. He only did this because the House of Umbranox was losing sway in the Elder Council. Lord Ferro conveniently had money and connections that would have given the House more political sway. My mom and her husband didn’t get along well apparently so he left her at the Chapel of the Nine where she met my dad. I think I told you the rest of that story.”

“So let me get this straight… Your mother is technically a countess and your family is just living as normal people? What about her first husband?”   


“Mom isn’t a countess and her brother doesn’t recognize our branch of the family so it was never really an option. And Lord Ferro told everyone she died so I just always assumed he never cared.”

“How hard would it be to get the Count to recognize your family?”   


Valleri scowled, “Difficult. But really who wants to be a noble? There's so many frivolous rules and limitations. It doesn’t seem worth it to me. I’m perfectly content being Valleri Hayn.”

“You’re probably right.” Vilkas took a deep breath in then stood up. “Besides you would have been a completely different person. You wouldn't have been worth knowing.”

The Imperial laughed. She sat up from her spot, shaking her head. “I know that was supposed to be a compliment but it really didn’t sound like it.”

Vilkas’s eyes darted from the roof to the tree line, obviously thinking about what he’d said. In another moment, he nodded his head in agreement. “You’re right again. Maybe we should just forget I said that.”   


“Whatever makes you feel better about it, Vilkas,” Valleri taunted. She propped her chin on her hand and watched as her friend looked up to the sky. Her eyes followed his upwards. Just peeking from out of the clouds was a patch of clear sky. Little pinpricks of stars were shining. It had been days since Valleri saw the stars and excitement came easily. “Do you think it's going to clear up for tomorrow?”   


“Who’s to say really? If it does, it'll make searching for Uriel easier.”

“So we’re actually doing that? As in the both of us?” Valleri questioned, voice more desperate sounding than she intended.

Vilkas took a step backwards closer to the edge of the roof, “There's no reason not to. Besides if he really does come back, then the both of you can head back to Anvil. All’s well that ends well.”

Valleri wanted to say something, but the words just wouldn’t form and she could do nothing but look at him through narrowed eyes. Her eyes darted to the trees outside of the clearing. Everything felt mixed up. It had been a weird day.

“What if I don’t want to leave right now?”

The young woman’s words almost seemed like they didn’t quite come from her. The only thing Valleri saw on her friend’s face when she finished was puzzlement. He seemed too shocked to speak. Vilkas gulped and took another step backwards.

Vilkas yelled as Valleri watched him disappear over the side of the roof. Valleri scrambled to the edge only to see Vilkas flat on his back on the porch. She stifled a laugh as Vilkas sat up, rubbing his shoulder with groan. Valleri swallowed hard to stop from herself laughing then finally asked, “Are you alright? That sounded bad!”

“I landed on my shoulder. I’ll be fine though,” Vilkas reassured. He sat up slowly with a grimace on his face.

“Are you sure?”

The young man waved her off, “Yeah. It's not the last time I’m going to fall off a roof.”

Valleri smirked, hanging her legs over the side of the roof. Perched comfortable in her spot, the Imperial rested her arms on her legs and shook her head. “Given my record, someone might have expected for me to fall off the roof instead.”

“Yeah,” Vilkas muttered with a wistful grin, “Probably. I feel a bit like an idiot now.”

“Hey, if it makes you feel better, I can fall off the roof too so you don’t feel so alone.”

Vilkas waved Valleri off, “You don’t have to stoop down to my level, Val.”   


The meaning of Vilkas’ words dawned on Valleri and her eyes grew to the size of dinner plates. She tried to stifle a chuckle to no avail. “Were you trying to make a joke?”

“Well, at least I know it worked.” Valleri watched him smile widely while he got up and brushed himself off. “Something I can be proud of.”   


“Now you won’t have to make another one for another year. Your dark, mysterious persona is safe with me.”

Vilkas climbed back onto the railing, balancing right next to Valleri. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously, “Dark and mysterious?”

“Yeah,” Valleri gestured with a smug grin. “You always come off as kind of angry. When I first met you, I thought you hated me.”   


“I didn’t know you at all,” Vilkas explained. “And in all honesty, I thought you hated me too.”   


Valleri laughed, “I actually did! I thought you were pompous ass.”   


“What about now?”   


Valleri rolled her eyes. Words seemed disingenuous now and Valleri felt uncharacteristically bold. Thoughts rushed in her head fast enough it felt like she wasn’t thinking. Grabbing onto his collar, Valleri pulled Vilkas closer and kissed him. 

After another moment, Valleri pulled back to see Vilkas staring at her through an expression of absolute astonishment. His mouth moved up and down as fought for something to say. Chills ran up her spine when she realized what she’d done. 

She opened her mouth to apologize when Vilkas cut her off, shaking his head, “Don’t say anything.”

Turning the tables around, Vilkas cupped her face and kissed her back. Apprehension melted away, but Valleri’s heart pounded all the harder. Her hands found their way from Vilkas’ shoulders down to his waist, hugging onto him tightly. He felt warm against the air and the damp roof they found themselves on. 

Almost hesitantly, they pulled apart. Valleri kept him close as they tried to process what just happened. Oddly enough, Valleri thought she would have felt shame or embarrassment. But how could she when she’d been thinking about it for what felt like forever?

Gulping, Valleri slid off the roof, taking her time to reach the porch below. Vilkas watched her with a thin-lipped frown. He didn’t move from the railing. Valleri fought every instinct to turn back to look at Vilkas one last time. Silently she moved through the cabin and to the basement. 

Ysra looked up when she saw Valleri enter. She narrowed her eyes, “Valleri, you look pale.”

The younger Imperial shook her head then smiled. “I’m perfectly fine.”

…

The next day, Ysra and Farkas left the cabin early. For whatever reason, Valleri wasn’t exactly sure why but she wasn’t going to complain. The sun shone over the trees outside and with the last few days of rain, she didn’t blame them for wanting to go out. Even she looked forward to heading back out on the road to look for Uriel.

But for the time being, Valleri was content just to sit at the kitchen munching on a bit of toast. Ysra left some honey out the table that Valleri slathered over the toast. Her breakfast tasted good and she had time to kill before she needed to head out. 

It wasn’t long after she started eating that Vilkas sat down across from her. He didn’t make any eye contact, instead focusing on finding something to eat while talking. “Are we going to talk about what happened last night?”

Valleri tilted her head with a frown, “Only if you want to.”

“I wouldn’t know where to start honestly.”   


“Well, I did kiss you first,” the Imperial pointed out. She took a bite out her toast then continued, “But then you also kissed me back. So there’s that.”   


“I’m not exactly sure how to feel about it.”

Valleri grimaced as she swallowed her toast. All of a sudden her appetite disappeared. “I think that’s just you.”   


“Oh?”

“I feel conflicted, that's for sure. Maybe a little confused. But it's something.” The Imperial paused to place her toast back down on a plate. “We don’t have a lot of time obviously.”

“We have a little.” Vilkas leaned back in his seat, rubbing his face. He breathed out slowly. “At least a few days.” He paused for a moment, giving Valleri a tense frown. “We’re friends right?”

“Yeah.”   


“I just wanted to make sure before I said something I can’t take back. But--”

“You might feel something for me? Like you want to be more than just friends and that you really don’t want to see me leave quite yet?”

Vilkas stared at the young woman sitting across from him with understanding. “Sort of.”

Valleri felt herself smirk bitterly. She shook her head and stared out of the window. “I hate feeling like that because we both know it won’t go anywhere.”

“I’ve got my work with the Companions and you’ve got a life in Cyrodiil.”   


“And we’re still really young. We’re just barely adults. Who’d expect us to make any good decisions about this?”

“That’s a really good point.” 

Valleri’s eyes drifted back to Vilkas’ face. He stared at the table like an abandoned puppy. His forlorn expression made her heart sink. She tried to smile as brightly as she could, offering a bit of reassurance. “But, we’re still friends. I’m just not sure if what we’re feeling is actually real.”

“But what if it is?” The Nord paused when they both heard someone rustling outside. He stood up from the table and looked out the windows. Valleri watched shock and terrible realization flash on his face. “It's Kodlak.”

“Is my dad with him?”   


Vilkas was about to answer when Valleri sprang from the table and ran outside to meet the old man. Behind Kodlak was Uriel coming from out of the bushes. He looked exhausted with leaves in his short cropped hair and dark bags under his eyes. But when he saw Valleri, a relieved grin grew on his face.

“Dad! What happened?”   


The Imperial man exchanged a glance with Kodlak before addressing her. “Are you alone here?”   


“No. Vilkas is inside. Ysra and Farkas are out though. Why? What happened?”   


“Pack your stuff. We’re heading home.”

The young woman took a step back in disbelief. “They opened the border?”

Uriel roared with laughter. “No not at all.” He paused, eyes drifting to the edge of the clearing. “We’re slipping past the border. Kodlak promised to show us to a place where the Legion doesn’t patrol.”   


“You’re kidding…”   


“Not at all. It’s time to go home, Val.”

Eyes darting in between Kodlak and Uriel, Valleri felt herself go cold in the sun. Her chest tightened as she tried to fake another smile. Without saying a word, she spun on her heel and went back to the cabin. Valleri didn’t stop even when Vilkas called to her from the kitchen. Her magical light illuminated the basement as she collected her things. 

“Valleri? What happened?”   


Finally, she steadied herself enough to meet Vilkas’ face in the door leading upstairs. She shook her head, “Apparently I’m heading home today.”

“The border opened up?”   


“Not even!” Valleri exclaimed with a strained grin. Tears welled up in the corner of her eyes. Furiously, Valleri wiped them away. “We’re just gonna cross the border and hope all goes well.”

Vilkas finally climbed down the ladder to meet her. Valleri didn’t stop packing. “So that’s just it?”   


“Apparently.” Valleri took a deep breath in and clasped the pack closed. Despite her efforts, Valleri’s voice shook as she spoke. “I know we’re still figuring things out too.”

“What if we write to each other?”   


The two of them exchanged an uneasy glance while Valleri processed what Vilkas said. Her frown disappeared as she spoke, “You’re right. I must be an idiot to not think about that. Especially since I know exactly where to reach you.”

Vilkas nodded wordlessly. The young woman heard him sigh as Valleri started to walk back to the ladder, pack slung over her shoulder. He called out to her unexpectedly. “Stay safe out there. And for the record, Val, I’m sorry.”

Valleri paused and tried to smile as she looked back to him one last time.

“Don’t be. It was wonderful.”

…

Vilkas didn’t really know what to do after Valleri left. The strange Imperial girl left a confusing mark and he didn’t quite know what to make of it. All he knew was that everything just seemed quiet after she left. 

Hours later, Ysra and Farkas returned to the cabin. His mother carried a basket of mushrooms while his brother had a bunch of hares slung across his back along with a well used bow. They spared him a confused glance as they entered the cabin. 

Ysra stood in the kitchen next to him, “Valleri’s gone.’

He hummed affirmatively, eyes not moving from the middle distance. “Her father came back and they left for Anvil.”

“Oh,” Ysra mumbled half to herself. “She left earlier than I expected. I imagine she was excited to head home.”

Vilkas nodded. “I guess so.”

He left his mother in the kitchen and found himself gravitating to the front porch. Taking a seat on the steps, Vilkas tried not to think too hard. If he did, he’d only get himself into a funk he wasn’t entirely ready for. 

But his mind kept drifting to that strange Imperial and the unearthly quiet she left behind. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It feels like I just posted another chapter a few days ago. I suppose I did. Also I love a good slow burn. But fuck this chapter really doesn't feel like a slow burn. I promise it is though! I swear!
> 
> Anyways folks, thanks for reading!!!!!!! \^-^/


	9. Chapter Eight: Musings

**4E 191 Last Seed**

The saying, all good things must come to an end, made absolutely no sense. Good things were never entirely good and sometimes things started and ended simultaneously. To Valleri, everything seemed like a slog and a definite ending was rare indeed.

But maybe Valleri was just being pessimistic.

The trip across the Skyrim Cyrodiil border was more boring than she would have expected. Apart from getting smacked in face by the occasional bush, nothing of note happened. It was probably a good thing nothing happened, but she couldn’t help but feel disappointed. 

It had been a little less than two weeks since they left Skyrim. They traveled quicker than usual, anxious to get back home. But for some reason, Uriel wanted to stay in the Imperial City for a few days. Valleri wasn’t mad about, just confused. She’d only been to the capital a few times accompanying her parents. While being able to explore the city herself was a tempting adventure, Valleri wanted to go home.

Uriel shot Valleri his usual lazy grin when she asked about it. “There was a bit of business that came up, Val. I sent a letter to your mother last night so she knows what’s happened. We’re not in any hurry,” he explained, leaning back in his chair next to a window in their room.

“Yeah, I know. But still...”

“Valleri--”

“I just thought that we were finally going home.”

Giving her a pat on the shoulder, Uriel got up from his seat and strode towards the door. “It's just another day or two. Try to enjoy it before we head home and work starts up again.

Uriel said nothing more and shut the door behind him. Valleri stared blankly for another second. With a sigh, she swung her cloak around her shoulders, making sure the clasp was tight, and made for the door. Soft voices came from the inn downstairs followed by the clinking of glasses and laughter. It was still early in the day, but no one in the city really cared. People drank whenever the spirit moved them too. Valleri almost forgot about the relaxed attitude shared by most of the Imperial City residents.

Two men at the bar looked up when they saw her descending the stairs. The bartender slammed his mug onto the table and took a deep breath in. “You on your way out, miss?”

Valleri looked over her shoulder and narrowed her eyes with suspicion. She wasn’t going to answer him. 

The bartender shrugged, “I would avoid the Greenway today, miss. There’s a commotion going on.”

Intrigued, Valleri paused before she reached the door. “Do you know what for?”

“There’s an open Elder Council meeting today. Emperor Mede wants to address the people more directly about the new mandates.”

“Mandates?”

“Yeah,” the bartender nodded. “People aren’t happy about it. I’d imagine young girls would get trampled if you went anywhere near there. Besides it's not something a person like you should have to worry about.” 

“Right,” Valleri droned half to herself. She wasted no time leaving the inn and navigating the bustling streets of the Elven Gardens District. A dark curiosity in the back of her mind grew larger and more demanding the closer she made it to the Green Way. Just as the bartender told her, most of the city was gathered here, fighting to find a way into the council room. Valleri stopped a woman next to her, “What’s going on?”

The woman stepped back in shock, “You didn’t hear? The Emperor is going to make a statement about what happened up north.”

“You mean Markarth?”

“Markarth? I don’t know what that is.”

Valleri grumbled to herself before leaving the woman’s side. She pushed against people, wading through them like a fish moving upstream. Finally, Valleri broke her way through the throng of people. Taking a moment to breathe, the young woman made it to the edge of the crowd. She now found herself in a large chamber made of Ayleid marble and adorned with red tapestries depicting the Imperial dragon. On the opposite side of the chamber was the Elder Council. Each member was an old Imperial man wrapped in crimson and gold togas, wearing an expression more blank than the one next to him.

In the middle of the Elder Council was a frail man draped in purple and white. His hair was thinning and his expression was troubled. All Valleri saw in that old man was utter and complete exhaustion. For a brief second they met eyes, making Valleri shrink a little back into the crowd.

He was addressed by one of his councilmen. Their exchange lasted for only a minute. With a sigh, the councilmen rose from his seat and spoke in a loud, unwavering voice. “The meeting will begin now. Our first order of business is to make an official statement about the recent events in Skyrim”

The councilman cleared his throat with a cough before unrolling a spare scroll. “There has been infighting between the Nords and the Reachmen in western Skyrim. We have sent the Red Legion to Skyrim to alleviate the situation. Emperor Titus Mede II sides with our Nordic allies and has come up with a support plan.”

Pausing for a moment, he unravelled the scroll a little further. Valler’s eyes drifted across the room for only a moment, noting the pensive expressions on everyone’s faces. She caught sight of a familiar red-headed man across the room regarding the Elder Council with a suspicious look. 

“The Nords protect our interests in the north. In order to ensure their success, we are planning on restarting the conscription into the Northern Legion until this crisis is over. Taxes will be increased for everyone in order to fund our presence in Skyrim.”

A man from the back of the room spoke up, yelling in order to be heard. “Why not reassign the Southern Legion in West Weald to Skyrim?”

The councilman, face marred with annoyance and anger, was about to speak when the Emperor gestured for him to remain calm. He pinched the bridge of his nose with frustration then continued, “We cannot trade one safety for another. The Southern Legion is our first line of defense should the Dominion decide to attack us again. Letting our guard down will be seen as tempting fate. Conscription is our only choice.”

“And what of the Reachmen?”

Everyone’s attention turned to a man covered in ornate tattoos and copper jewelry stepping out of the crowd. He stood out like a sore thumb, but it was the proud manner in which he held himself that demanded attention. “The Emperor still has yet to tell me what he intends to do with my people once he removes us from our homes.”

“We can only concern ourselves with how this rebellion reflects on the Empire as a whole--”

“No, I want Emperor Mede to answer me himself,” the Reachman demanded. He stepped closer to the gathering of councilmen. 

Valleri gulped as she watched him. The silence covering the chamber was heavier than she ever could have imagined. Her own breathing seemed loud as the young woman and all of the others in the chamber waited for an answer. 

The Emperor stood up and stared back at the Reachman in front of him. “This situation is more complicated than you think. Every community in the Empire is interconnected now and if one of us falls, we all fall.”

“So you’d just rather massacre an entire people, destroying their history and culture, in order to keep an illusion of peace?”

“An illusion of peace is still peace. It's the best we can hold onto for now.”

Valleri stole a glance at her father, feeling miles away from him. Uriel’s face was twisted in pain as he listened, focused on nothing else. Gut wrenching tension filled her. Valleri tore her eyes away from him and focused back on the Reachman and the Emperor. 

“Not until the illusion fades. You’re refusing to fix the problem that would solve all of this because you’re growing comfortable in your exhaustion.” The Reachman paused and gestured to crowd behind him, face contorting with frustration. Valleri flinched when his voice grew even louder. “Everyone here, they’re here for an answer as to when all of this madness will stop! They’re tired of living under the assumption that all they’re working towards will collapse! Titus Mede, isn’t it your duty to keep them safe? Are you keeping my people safe from the wrath of the Nords by killing them?”

Staring blankly, the Emperor could only shake his head. With a huff, the Reachman rolled his eyes and waved at him dismissively. “I’m ashamed I thought this would work.” Valleri watched him disappear back into the crowd. Everyone’s attention seemed to move back to the Elder Council but Valleri’s lingered. She watched Uriel follow him as discreetly as he could. 

Wasting no time, Valleri rushed after him, question after question swirling around her mind like a wind storm. Valleri squinted in the bright sunlight when she broke free of the chamber. In the distance she saw Uriel addressing the Reachman. Their conversation was short and heated. Uriel took a step back before the Reachman placed a hand on his shoulder and left. 

“Dad!”

Ureil turned to see Valleri standing a few feet away from him. His face turned pale and ashamed. He gulped when Valleri stopped in front of him. Her expression was a grimace when she spoke, “You never told me what happened.”

“Valleri, now isn’t the time.”

Rage built up in the young woman’s chest. “You tell me vague details about what happened to you. About the war, about the time in between. But when I ask for specifics or what I can do to help get us out of this mess, you always say its not the time.” 

All of sudden, the same exhaustion Valleri saw in the Emperor was so obvious in her own father. She pitied him. And she hated that. 

“You shouldn’t have to see the same things that I have, Val. All I hope is that as soon as you can, you can leave us and live your life free of my pain. That’s all.”

“Weren’t you in there with me? Were you not listening?” Valleri yelled, gesturing wildly. “Everyine is in the same fucking boat! There has to be something I can do.”

“Valleri...”

The young Imperial turned away and started descending the stairs to the lawn circling the palace. “Don’t bother, dad. I can’t just do nothing.”

...

Valleri said little to nothing to Uriel on the last leg of their journey. Nothing she could say would make her feel better about what happened at the Elder Council meeting. For the first time she could remember, Valleri felt true frustration towards him. Seeing Uriel give up so easy left a sour taste in her mouth Valleri would not soon forget.

Anvil was just on the horizon, a sight for sore eyes. Seeing her home for the first time in months made Valleri feel just a little bit better. A wide smile came to her face when she caught sight of the orange roofed buildings. Before she knew it, Valleri dropped her pack and burst into an all out sprint. She only stopped when she made it to the city gates. Valleri turned around, switching her weight from leg to leg, waiting for Uriel to catch up. 

Uriel was taking his time reaching the gate and Valleri couldn’t bring herself to wait. The guards at the gate rolled their eyes when Valleri ran off into the city streets. These particular men had been guards for years and were more than familiar with her inability to stand in one place.

Valleri didn’t have to go far to see Marco in the street accosting the seagulls. The big white birds flapped around and squaked menacingly at the boy. Marco didn’t care and kept tossing them scraps.

“Hey, you fucking numbskull! You’re gonna get your eyes poked out!” Valleri yelled. 

Marco turned around with a disgruntled expression, “Shove off, Val. I do what I want.”

“Nice to see you too,” Valleri mumbled mostly to herself. She gave her brother a sharp pat between his shoulder blades. Marco cringed.

“How was Solsthiem?” the younger Imperial said through clenched teeth.

Valleri shrugged, “Honestly I could take it or leave it.”

“Not worth it then?”

“Hey, I wasn’t done yet. I was about to say we spent more time in Skyrim anyways.”

“Mom and I sort of figured something like that happened. Have you talked to her yet?”

Valleri narrowed her eyes as she turned to face her brother. “No. No! I literally just got into the city and the first person I saw was you.”

“Oh my, I feel so honored,” Marco droned half heartedly. Valleri couldn’t help but roll her eyes with exasperation. “She had some things to tell you anyways.”

“You know what about?”

Marco shrugged. He tossed the last scrap of food to the birds, wiped his hands on his pants, and watched feathery chaos ensue. “No idea. Just said it was important.”

“That literally doesn’t help me, Marco.”

“Didn’t say it would.”

With a groan, Valleri left her brother to his own machinations and continued on home. The streets were mostly devoid of people, a little surprising since it was a workday for most. Valleri stopped when she noticed a stranger coming out of the chapel. She was a young Bosemri woman, adorned in a dark crimson dress and brass jewelry. Her dark brown, curly hair was pinned back against her head in order to keep it from getting into her face. The Imperial couldn’t help but stare with narrowed eyes. Whoever she was, she was gorgeous, but didn’t look to be the type to be hanging around the chapel.

Valleri continued to watch from afar, readjusting her weight to remain comfortable. The Bosmeri woman carried a basket under her arm full of fresh linens. Valleri couldn't even begin to guess where the stranger was taking her basket, but that was the joy in watching people. 

The Bosmer didn’t seem to notice Valleri watching her from down the street and continued on her merry way. Much to Valleri’s surprise, she also didn’t notice the pelican following her either.

Without warning, the pelican snuck up to the Bosmer’s side and poked its beak into the basket. The woman jumped back in fright, screaming. She instinctively swung the basket at the pelican’s neck in retaliation. Fresh linens spilled around her, littering the street in a sad mess. The pelican ran away with a deep throated squawk, leaving the Bosmeri woman in a bad mood. 

Valleri couldn’t help but burst out laughing, doubling over as she tried to keep her cover. When she looked back, the Bosmeri woman was glaring at her. The Imperial gulped. 

“Well, don’t just stand there and laugh, you peasant! Help me!”

Valleri shook her head, grinning all the while. She approached the woman leisurely, “Calling me a peasant isn’t going to make me want to help you anymore.”

Groaning, the Bosmer started gathering and refolding her linens. “I hope you were entertained in any case.”

“Entertained enough to help you, I guess,” Valleri muttered. She knelt down on the ground next to her companion and started folding the linens back up. Her heart raced just a little faster when she finally got a better look at the Bosmer’s face. Looking back at Valleri was the most gorgeous pair of eyes, just like shimmering onyx. Valleri laughed nervously, “So are you new to Anvil or something?”

“Yes. I’m serving the Chapel of Dibella for the next few years to continue my education.” 

“Do you have a name then?”

“Of course I do. I wasn’t born under a rock--”

“Aren’t we all, though?” Valleri mumbled with a smile.

“Excuse me?”

Gesturing up, Valleri tired to explain, “Well, aren’t the moons just giant rocks up in the sky?”

There was a heavy moment of silence between the two of them. Valleri watched the realization dawn on the Bosmer’s face. She cringed as she spoke, “Oh. That was horrible. Just… horrible.” 

“You have to admit it was good though, right?”

“No, it was so bad I don’t even think you deserve to know my name.”

Valleri stared down as she folded up the last sheet. “Now, that’s just rude.”

“Fine. My name is Marisol. But that’s all I’m willing to tell you. You’re lucky to get that much.” She got up from the ground and started back down the street. Valleri ran to catch up with Marisol. With another sigh, Marisol addressed Valleri again, “You’re following me now?”

“We’re going the same direction.”

Marisol’s glare softened into vague distaste, still getting used to the idea that this strange Imperial wasn’t gone yet. Neither of them said anything. But Valleri was too distracted surveying the city for any other new changes to bother saying anything. 

It wasn’t long before Valleri saw the front facade of her house down the street. There were considerably more plants in the yard than the neighbors, making the house unmistakable. Valleri glanced at Marisol from the corner of her eye. The Bosmer, a few steps ahead now, turned into the verdant front yard. Valleri smirked. 

“Madame Hayn?” Marisol waited for the nonexistent for a minute before walking into the house. “I’m here on delivery.”

There was a grumble from the back greenhouse and Ulia came out of the room, covered in topsoil. “Thank you Marisol. You can leave that at the door. I’ll grab it-- Valleri?” Surprise flashed over the older woman’s face before it finally settled in relief. “Did you and your dad just get back?”

Valleri nodded with the biggest grin she could muster. “Yeah, not even an hour ago.”

“Where’s Uriel?”

Valleri looked over her shoulder to the front yard. “I dunno. I ran off as soon as I saw the city walls.”

Ulia rolled her eyes with fond exasperation. Her eyes landed on Marisol still in the front door and Uia mustered a small smile. “I’m sorry, Marisol. I didn’t mean to brush you off. This is my daughter. I just haven’t seen her in months.”

The taut frown Marisol regarded Valleri with was replaced with silent shock. If someone looked close enough, maybe that would have seen just a touch of shame as well. After a moment, Marisol nodded her head and tried to speak, “Is that so?”

Valleri shot the young Bosmer a sly smirk, anything to make her squirm just a little. She tried not to but soon enough Valleri started laughing. She shook her head and turned to Ulia. “Marco mentioned you wanted to talk to me though.”

“Right. It was about your apprenticeship.”

“Mom, you told me you wouldn’t worry about it.”

“Well--”

“Madame Hayn, apologies. But you seem busy, so I’ll take my leave now,” Marisol said from the back.

“Ah, yes, Marisol. Give my regards to Anya.” Ulia and Valleri watched Marisol leave in silence. When they were sure Marisol was gone, Ulia spoke up, “Strange girl. She’ll have to get used to her new station in life if she wants her stay in Anvil to go smoothly.”

“So she really is part of the aristocracy then?”“Only an idiot wouldn’t pick up on it.”

“Honestly, I like her. Marisol seems like she doesn’t take shit from anybody,” Valleri admitted with a wide grin. Ulia regarded her with an arched eyebrow before the younger Imperial continued, “What was it about my apprenticeship you wanted to tell me?”

“There’s a family that moved to Anvil a short while ago while you were away. The older Altmer that lived there came to visit a while ago. He’s interested in studying the old ruins and asked if you would be willing to join him. I couldn’t give them a straight answer since I wasn’t sure what you were planning on doing.”

Valleri stared at her through enormous eyes. She breathed out sharply. “I know you and dad keep insisting I take the apprenticeship at the chapel. But if this guy is as serious as you think he is…”

Trying not to cringe, Ulia continued, “So you would rather spend your time in the ruins? And not go into chapel service like you decided before?”

“You say that like learning about the elves is a bad thing.”

“It's not as though it would in any official capacity.:”

Valleri shrugged, “Who cares? I’ve been trying to get ahold of Ayleidoon for months. I’d get help with that at the very least, so I’d be satisfied”

“I’m not entirely sure its a good idea, Valleri.”

“You tend to think everything is a bad idea though. And besides, it's not like I’ll get arrested or anything.”

“I just want to make sure you’re taken care of in the future. I’m just… worried.”

“I have to learn to take care of myself eventually.”

“But traipsing off into the wilderness isn’t taking care of yourself. Being able to find steady work to afford food and shelter is taking care of yourself. The chapel can provide all of that once Uriel and I pass. You have to think, Valleri.”

Valleri almost didn’t want to stay in the house any longer. She tried to answer, but her words came out mutters. “So you’d rather watch me settle for a life pretending I don’t hate my work than do something that I genuinely want to do because it isn’t safe?”

“Valleri, I didn’t mean that.”

Without a second thought, Valleri walked out of the house. Uriel paused in the front hall with a confused expression when she passed by. She refused to acknowledge him too. The pent up frustration had kicked up again and if she opened her mouth, Valleri was scared she’d lose it. It was better just to leave. But Ulia’s worries struck a chord Valleri hadn’t been aware of. 

Ignorance really was bliss, apparently.

…

Perhaps the thing she missed the most about Anvil wasn’t Anvil itself, but the orange and yellow hues that danced on the waves at sunset. The Imperial had watched the sunset thousands of times before. By now it wasn’t an exciting novelty; instead it was calming. 

Not that the view was helping her any.

Nearly as soon as she left the house that afternoon, Valleri made her way to the decrepit manor house at the end of the street. There she met with an older Altmer, Alastaros. It was decided in the end that Valleri would return another day and the two of them would finalize the details of her new position. 

Her earlier conversation with Ulia left a sour taste in her mouth. The feeling left her distracted. Alastaros noticed right away. Valleri was grateful that the old elf made sure to keep the conversation light.

When their talk was over, Valleri lingered in the street. She certainly couldn’t go home yet. Not after what she told her mother. She decided quickly it’d be easier to climb into her window that evening then it would be to return through the front door. 

So for the last few hours, Valleri sat on the docks, dangling her feet in the water. The sun was almost underneath the horizon. Most of the sky was a dark purple now, rather than bright orange. Pinpricks of light twinkled in the sky. But the night sky in Anvil was nothing compared to Skyrim. She hated to admit it, but Valleri was sad not to be looking at those stars any longer.

Valleri closed her eyes for another second and took a deep breath in. Even after such a long time, guilt was beginning to eat at her. The Imperial knew deep down it was her own life to live-- no, she was absolutely sure of it.

She’d find a way to reconcile those feelings later. All that mattered was that Valleri was focused on the present moment and tried to enjoy the waves lapping over her feet.

…

Ulia sat at the dining room table, nodding off as the minutes passed by. The evening meal was a little quieter than she expected, but seeing her husband again for the first time in what seemed like an eternity made up for it. Ulia almost didn’t realize how much she really missed him until she saw Uriel’s dopey face walk in the door. 

Dinner lasted a few hours after the food was gone. Marco retired for the night early on while Uriel lasted only an hour or two longer. That left Ulia up to wait for Valleri. She hadn’t seen hide nor hair of her daughter since that afternoon.

Not that Ulia was worried. Valleri couldn’t have gone far in Anvil and the girl could handle herself. So, rather than go out into the night, Ulia was settled to wait for her at the dining room table. 

It might be a while yet until Valleri returned however.

Ulia was resting her head on the table when she heard heavy footsteps coming down the hall. Uriel stood in the doorway with a blanket slung over his arm. He smiled widely when Ulia turned to look at him. 

“Are you still waiting up?” he asked. Ulia nodded silently. Uriel draped the blanket over his wife’s shoulder and took the seat next to her. “Did Valleri say anything earlier?”

“She said a lot of things. We had a disagreement before she left. Why?”

For a moment, Uriel hesitated. “I just… We also had a bit of a disagreement while we were in the capital.”

“What was it about?” 

“She watched the Emperor’s address. There was a bit of an outburst and it had quite an effect on her.”Ulia grasped Uriel’s hand tightly, giving it a squeeze. “Today I began to wonder if we told her too much too soon?’

“No, we had to tell our children what happened. It was only right. I think it's just us coming to the sudden realization that Valleri is her own person. She’ll have to make her own decisions eventually.”

“Uriel, we know our daughter very well. She’s--”

“Incredibly headstrong and stubborn.”

Ulia tilted her head with a grimace, “That’s a heavy way of putting it.”

“Perhaps.”

“Regardless. She may be her own person, but it won’t stop me from worrying about her.”

Uriel kissed her hand lightly. “Nor shall you. She’ll be a headstrong fool and she’ll make mistakes. But she does exactly what she thinks is right. I can’t see Valleri being the type of person who’ll be despised anywhere she goes.”

A tired, wistful smile came to Ulia’s face. “I suppose you’re right.” She laughed, “At least we don’t have to worry about Marco.” Uriel shook his head with a wide grin. He did everything to try to hide his expression, but Ulia saw right through him. Even after all of these years, Ulia still melted at the sight of Uriel grinning like a child. She hummed, “Before I forget, Valleri received a letter a few days ago.”

“That’s no different from usual.”

“It came from a city in Skyrim. Considering how long you spent in the province, I thought maybe she made a few friends,”

Again, Uriel paused. He took a deep breath in then spoke mumbled half to himself, “I believe she did. We left quite suddenly. She didn’t say much when we crossed the border. This will probably lift her spirits a bit.”

“It will.”

Uriel stood up from his seat, starting back towards the hallway. “I’ll see you upstairs, Ulia. Don’t stay up too late.”

Ulia grinned and watched her husband disappear. It wouldn't be long until she followed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Its been a while. I'm getting ready for summer jobs and what not, so things are slow writing wise. This was supposed to be a filler chapter, but as I was writing it looks like that might not be the truth anymore. The next few chapters will be a little different, so look out!!
> 
> Anyways, thanks for reading!!!!! ^-^


	10. Chapter Nine: Letters

**4E 191 3rd of Last Seed**

**Valleri Hayn,**

This is very strange. I don't think I’ve ever written a letter to anybody. At least not for personal reasons. Putting thoughts onto a piece of paper is nothing like talking to a person face to face. I can’t judge what you would be thinking about all of this and that drives me nuts.

As soon as you left, Farkas and I went back to Whiterun. You know how you said my bar for what’s exciting is uncommonly high? You’re probably right. Doing run of the mill jobs is much less interesting than you’d think. All I'm doing is chasing after brigands and bears. But then again, you’ve spent most of your life if decrepit ruins, haven’t you?

I’m a little surprised you haven’t been hit over the head with a loose brick already. 

You’re pretty lucky though. I can’t imagine you’d kick it in the ruins any time soon. If you find anything interesting though, let me know. I can’t exactly imagine what Ayleid ruins are like. Probably not as mossy as the ones up here.

Anyways, Farkas said hi. And this is as much as I have to say for the time being. 

\-- Vilkas

  
  


**4E 191 30th of Last Seed**

**Vilkas,**

Your letter was a little short, but I shouldn’t necessarily be surprised. Even at the cabin you never said much. Not that it was a bad thing. Being straight to the point is a bit of a hard skill to master, isn’t it? 

I started my apprenticeships pretty much as soon as I got back. To my delight, a researcher from the Synod moved to Anvil while I was away. He offered to help get me started with research in exchange for guiding him through the ruins outside of town. Least to say, I didn’t take much time to think before I took up his offer. It feels a little too good to be true.

People usually only take one apprenticeship. But my parents kept insisting that I go into the chapel. I got into a fight with them and I think the damage is permanent this time. I know it seems like I’m just giving up at this point, but I did end up agreeing to do some work there whenever I had the time.

Honestly I kind of miss how simple Skyrim was when I was there. A lot happened on the way back and it cemented a lot of doubts I had before leaving in the first place. It's hard to see things as they once were. 

Everything is warped now and the more I think about it, the more lost I feel.

Maybe I’m being paranoid. And this is a strange note to end a letter on. I know you won’t but don’t worry too much. I’m making sure I won’t get my skull cracked open in the ruins.

\-- Valleri

**4E 191 16th of Hearth Fire**

**Valleri,**

I didn’t exactly know what to expect, but your handwriting looks impeccable. I’m probably wrong, but it feels like maybe everyone in Cyrodiil might have handwriting like that. Most people are illiterate in Skyrim, so I just never really thought about it. Now thanks to your letter all I notice is how bad their handwriting is. Almost illegible. I don’t really know how mine turned out half decent. Just lucky maybe?

I don’t have much to say about the strange work predicament except don’t spread yourself too thin. Val, we both know you tend to take on too much when you feel bored. But you’re still a person and well, just be careful.

In the meantime, I’m supposed to be heading to Riften for a while. Apparently there’s been a string of thefts the local guards can’t seem to handle. Usually I’m just hired muscle, but this time I'll actually get to figure shit out the way I see fit. I’m actually feeling really good about this. If I’m lucky and things go well, I might be next in line for a promotion. Probably not to the Circle yet but getting there.

Also what happened? I understand if you want to keep it vague, but whatever happened must have been serious. Is everyone safe? Does it have something to do with Uriel’s arrest warrant?

I probably won’t get your next letter until I get back to Whiterun in a few months so don’t expect a reply soon. I don’t mean to ignore you.

Feels a bit weird to write this, but maybe it'd be even stranger to say it out loud, but I sort of miss you.

\--Vilkas 

  
  


**4E 191 7th of Frost Fall**

**Vilkas,**

Don’t worry. Everyone’s safe. Uriel won’t be arrested anytime soon. I learned a lot about him that seemed to change my perception of him as a person. It felt like waking up. I’m mostly mad at myself that I didn’t come to that realization earlier.

Also it's been more than a month since you sent your last letter. Maybe you’re back in Whiterun when this arrives? In any case, I expect to know every single detail about your investigation in Riften! Leave nothing out. 

You might think that I’m living vicariously through your stories. And maybe I am. But starting next week, Alastaros is having me copy down the carvings in the ruins outside of town. I’ll get to start translating whatever I copy down in my free time. I’ve been doing almost nothing but learning Ayleidoon the past few weeks. I’m getting pretty fluent by now, especially since I have someone helping me out.

Also I may have found a few positives about my placement at the chapel. Firstly, there’s a printing press in the basement. If I hadn’t known about Alastaros I probably would have been going into scribework. If there’s a chance for me to use the press, by Akatosh I’m gonna take it.

Secondly, there’s another young woman there named Marisol who came from out of town. I don't think I’ve seen anyone so pretty. But she is a bit brusque and gets flustered easily. She reminds me a lot of you. I’ve been trying to get to know her a little better but that’s slow going for the time being.

And, it's not weird to say that you miss me. If it makes you feel better, I miss you a lot too. 

\--Valleri

**4E 191 2nd of Evening Star**

**Val,**

I think I stayed in Riften too long. There’s an open canal under the city where most of the sewage goes. It smells horrible. I don’t understand how people can just live there. What’s worse is that the thieves I was after lived in the tunnels right next to the canals. I had to slog through so much sludge I don’t think it’ll come off for another five months. 

But I think I made an impression. When I got back to Jorrvaskr, I learned that the captain of the guard sent a letter to Kodlak. Kodlak wouldn't tell me what was in the letter. All he would do was shake his head and smile so it had to be good. In the meantime, I’m on break training some of the new recruits. There’s not an ounce of talent between any of them and I’d rather be doing anything else. 

I’ll just have to bide my time and see if I get promoted or not.

Also I’m going to sound like a complete idiot, but the press is for mass producing books right? Wouldn’t that just make scribe work obsolete? I guess I wouldn’t really know.

And at least there’s at least there’s one person who’ll keep you grounded while at the chapel. I’m still kind of surprised you went with it. At least you won't spend the rest of your life lurking about ruins and will have to reenter society from time to time. That’s gotta be another positive.

I’m not sure what you’ve heard about what’s been going outside of Cyrodiil, but things are starting to get rockier politically and there's been smaller uprising in the countryside. Even last week there was a workers strike in one of the Dawnstar mines. There might be more restrictions about what comes through the border in case the Legion wants to curtail what’s going on.

I guess what I'm saying is that letters might be slow for a while. You should probably tell Uriel what’s going on as well just in case. 

Anyways, stay safe, Val.

\--Vilkas

**4E 192 6th of Morning Star**

**Vilkas,**

You weren’t kidding about letters being slower. I was really happy yours got through though. At least I know you’re still hanging in there. If I’m being honest I dread the day I stop getting these letters because then I know something’s gone absolutely wrong. It makes me nervous just thinking about it.

Anyways, I hope you at least got some sort of promotion after your time in Riften. As usual, you were stingy with the details, so I had to fill in the blanks myself. I imagine you were down there camping for days while the thieves were smuggling gold and jewels and maybe a bit of skooma out of the city sewers. There was probably a brawl before you called in the city guard to arrest them. 

My story probably isn’t even remotely true in the slightest but I can dream, right?

I haven’t been able to operate the printing press yet. And to answer your question, the presses take so much time and effort to operate, you can only print so many pages at a time, so the public don’t get to use them much. Scribes will be in business for a long time. 

As for Marisol, I’ve been paired up with her for the time being while I’m over at the chapel. The more I work with her, the more intriguing she gets. She’s from aristocracy and is a little out of touch so it's just fun watching her bumble around a bit. But she’s got a good head on her shoulders. It's kind of hard not gravitating towards her. Maybe I’m getting ahead of myself. 

I hope the new year is treating you well, Vilkas.

\--Valleri

**4E 192 24th of First Seed**

**Val**

I’m constantly in and out of Jorrvaskr, I sort of pushed the new year to the back of my mind. Besides it's just cold and dark all the time so counting the days seems like a fool’s job. Also that was two months ago. But thanks for the sentiment. It made me feel a little less exhausted. 

When you’re constantly being bombarded with arrows or swords or axes or whatever anybody else picks up off the ground to attack you with, you start gaining an appreciation for really simple things. Like a soft mattress or some really tasty soup. 

Kodlak’s been giving me better jobs these days too. Obviously, more dangerous but the pay out is much better. So far nothing bad happened so things are looking up. Last month was busy and I ended up camping out most nights. 

Farkas is taking things easier. He has this outlook that if something is meant to be, it’ll just happen eventually. He’s not entirely wrong. But I can’t stand doing nothing for now. Mother’s been standoffish since she found out I’m trying to fast track to the Circle. She still thinks I’m gonna end up like Jergen. I kind of just stopped trying to fight her and I haven't been back home since you’ve left. I’m not wrong am I?

I just think I need to hear something good right now. Things are looking up, but it feels exhausting. I hope you’re hanging in there, Val. I really do.

On a strange note, I keep forgetting what shade of green your eyes are or how tightly you grasped my hand when we were hiding from the rain. I don’t want to forget.

\-- Vilkas 

**4E 192 19th of Rain’s Hand**

**Vilkas**

If you want to hear about good things, I guess I can tell you about the archaeology company I’m working for. I believe I spoke about Alastaros before. He’s the old altmer who sits at the head. A little intimidating at first, but he’s a good teacher. His husband, Skeeva, used to be the official security for the company. He mostly took care of skeletons and ghosts and all that as well as detailing some of the logistics that went into expeditions. All very official. But now he’s retired and has a garden that rivals my mom’s. 

Finally, there’s Lexius. He’s a kid they picked up in the Imperial City a few years ago. Alastaros bailed him out of a theft arrest in exchange for some fieldwork. He never really left. I’m glad for the most part, mostly because I don’t think I’ve ever met a more spontaneous person. I could probably get him to jump off a cliff with me just by asking, as long as it's even remotely fun. Maybe I’ve met my match?

We’re going to be mapping the ruins outside of town as accurately as we can before heading to the Imperial City to turn our current findings into the Synod. It has to go through an official council first before any decisions are made. That part seems frivolous, not to mention presumptuous, to me. But it's not my place to judge for now. 

And so you won’t forget, Marco said my eyes are just leafy green. I don’t know if he’s right or not. And I held onto your hand as tightly as I could. 

\--Valleri

**4E 192 4th of Mid Year**

**Val**

I wrote as soon as I got your letter. The envelope was rough looking, so I assume it got lost on the way up here. I almost thought you forgot. 

It sounds like the people you work for are tad on the shady side. But you could say the same about the Companions probably. Very few people know about the lycanthropy aspect, and I’ll admit that if the general population knew, we’d probably be hunted down. So, despite the ragtag nature of employers, you're probably safe. 

I’ve been up near Solitude with Farkas for a while. We were contracted to clear out a cave of necromancers. Wizards are the worst. The worst pain I’ve been in was when I got stabbed by an icicle one of those idiots threw at me a while back. These ones were trying to bring back Potema and I think we stopped them. We’re not sure yet. Anyways, High King Istlod passed while we were there. The moot hasn’t taken place yet, but everyone already knows Troygg’s going to ascend since he’s Istlod’s son. 

Nobody is sure what’s going to happen after that. Torygg’s only a few years older than us and after seeing how much Ulfric Stormcloak supported the riots in the Reach, things might get messier. I don’t think Torygg will be able to keep the Jarls in check. The Empire hasn’t said anything yet so they’re probably just waiting for the clean up.

Uriel might be getting some correspondence from Kodlak soon. I know he’s been asking about the third man your father was looking for. But with all that's been happening, he’s probably dead or already arrested.

I wish there was better news to tell you about. I really do. Things are blending together here. Everyday is the same. 

Isn’t weird that you tried to break my arm and sprained your ankle almost a year ago? It feels like years passed since then.

\-- Vilkas 

**4E 192 7th of Mid Year**

**Valleri Hayn,**

Sorry for not trying to contact you earlier. You wouldn’t believe how hard it is to get paper back to the cabin. And even if there was plentiful paper around the island, it's a ghost town in Ravenrock so the prices would be gouged up. I guess I got lucky this time. 

Things are pretty much the same here. Wallace keeps hurting himself. He broke his arm last week and he’s been going through our stash of spirits ever since. 

We ended up having a fight about it so I went into the glacial fields on the north side of the island. The Skaal were nice enough to let me stay with them for the time being. I was more surprised to see another interloper with them. He’s some researcher from Skyrim. He reminded me a bit of you. 

You should probably let Uriel know that Wallace is fine. I haven’t been back to check up on him yet. But there's food at the cabin and he can mostly take care of himself. 

I mostly just wanted to send this to let you know I’m still interested in keeping in touch with you. Write to me if you can. Take care of yourself in the city.

\--Leo

**4E 192 23rd of Sun’s Height**

**Vilkas**

Your last letter was waiting for me back in Anvil when I got back from the Imperial City a few days ago. The Synod is sending over an observer for the next month to make sure we’re running the expedition by the books. Alastaros certainly isn’t so I’m not sure what he’s going to do. 

I’ve only been to the Imperial City a few times and this was my first time in the Arcane University. I’ve never seen so many books. I think I stood in the library for a good minute just staring. 

I think my dad got Kodlak’s letter. I haven’t talked to him about anything related to the Great War since I got back from Skyrim. Our ways of thinking are too different and I get frustrated trying to broach the subject with him anymore. But I think I told you that before and there’s no point in trying to overthink it now.

Anyways, I’m not sure I should tell you this or not, but I kissed Marisol last night. I wasn’t really thinking. But it was like when I kissed you. It felt like that’s what I was supposed to do. Marisol left after that happened and she hasn’t talked to me since. I probably messed that up really bad. 

I don’t plan on telling anyone else. 

But telling you seemed right. I don’t why, but it did. Maybe I’m thinking you’d understand?

The more I write this, the more I miss seeing you. I’m not sure if what I felt for you is fading. All I remember now is fondness. I don’t want that to fade. 

\-- Valleri

**4E 192 10th of Hearth Fire**

**Val**

It’s felt like forever since I’ve written a letter. Not being able to stay in one place makes it hard to even remember what I’m supposed to do day to day. Apologies for not replying earlier.

Kodlak came up to Farkas and I a few days ago to ask us about what we wanted from the Companions. The whole conversation was a waste of time. He basically raised us to be Companions, so he should have already known the answer. There was a look in his eyes that didn’t seem right. Like he was trying to talk us out of something. I didn’t ask him about it.

He can technically stop me from being in the Circle, but I still have to try. 

It sounds like you’re having a tough time yourself. I’ve only heard about Marisol from you so I can’t really give you any advice. Maybe give her a little bit of space to process what happened then ask her about it. I mean at least you get to at least broach the subject. That was a chance we never really got. 

But who’s to say anything has to come out of it?

You told me once that we’re still young and we’ve got time.

\--Vilkas

**4E 192 11th of Frost Fall**

**Kodlak Whitemane, Harbinger of the Companions**

Apologies for not replying in a timely manner. The Count’s had me busy the past month or so. There were some sightings of Altmeri galleons we weren’t expecting and the city was forced into lock down. They stayed moored to a far off island off the coast for a while. The Count ordered some extra legionnaires in case of an unprovoked attack. Nothing’s happened since and the galleon eventually left. I’m heading a group of men to see if they left anything behind. The Count is supposed to ask the Elder Council to check with the Dominion regarding what happened. I doubt he will though.

I haven’t heard much in the way of what’s going on in Skyrim. If you didn’t send me your last letter, all I would have known was that the High king died and his son was ascending the throne. The looming threat of rebellion by some of the Jarls doesn’t bode well. And as far as I know, the Empire is holding the northern Legions just past the border. It doesn't appear as though they’ll move from there any time soon.

As for the other knight I told you about a while ago lived in the middle of nowhere by Danwstar. He lived a similar lifestyle as Brokil. His name was Tallin, an Altmer who was preoccupied with destruction magic. There’s a good chance he’s passed away as well. I’m not asking you to go out of your way to check on him, but if you do head up that way think about it.

I’m sending the map with his last location with this letter.

I hope the mess in Skyrim clears up soon and that the Companions are doing well. 

\-- Uriel Hayn, Anvil Guard Captain

**4E 193 2nd of Morning Star**

**Vilkas**

It's been a while but two strange things happened! I had to write right away. 

I was inscribing some old scrolls in a remote part of the ruins. There’s a causeway above the main chamber I was in. The only way to access the causeway is through a tight, iron hatch. I swear, it glows up there when no one is looking. But I saw someone there, dressed in ragged robes and brass jewelry, watching me. When I finally calmed down to investigate, I found some sort of prints up there in the dust. They looked like skeletal feet.

Alastaros is shutting the site down for a while until he figures out what it is. He went pale when I told him what I saw. Apparently it's a lich and the fact that it didn’t try to attack me is a miracle. 

The funny thing was that I felt uneasy but never unsafe. Regardless, I’ve been put on break for a while. 

The second strange thing is the appearance of an island in the bay. Usually I wouldn't be concerned, but it only appears early in the morning and before I know it, it's gone. I’m trying to figure out a way to get a boat to see if I’m just dreaming it up. I think I am, honestly.

\--Valleri

**4E 193 20th of Rain’s Hand**

**Val**

Is everything okay in Anvil? How did you not notice a lich? Haven’t you been exploring those ruins for years? I probably seem accusatory, but I guess I’m just confused. I’ve only ever heard of liches and they’re not something you’d want to underestimate. But you know to be safe in old, haunted ruins.

I’m glad you’re still alive. I really am. 

As for the island, have you told anyone else? I assume you’ve checked a map before writing your letter. I have no idea what it could be. I wish I could offer more help.

Also before I forget, I’ve been promoted to Secretary of Arms. Technically I’m training under Skjor, who is currently Master at Arms. I’ll be on a fast track for a Circle position. It's grueling work and I feel exhausted, even now. It's pretty official that I’ll finally be let into the Circle soon.

\--Vilkas

**4E 193 3rd of Mid Year**

**Vilkas**

Congratulations on your promotion! Are you actually a werewolf now though? I’m aware it seems a tad crass to ask so bluntly. It's not necessarily my business, but that was one of the few things I remember about the Circle. 

I’m trying so hard to focus on your news but my mind keeps drifting to the lich in the ruins. About a week ago, some wizards from the Arcane University came to Anvil to help Alastaros exterminate the lich. I was curious and followed them into the ruins. I don’t think I’ve ever regretted doing something this much before.

There wasn’t a large fight like I expected. Instead it was a set of banishing spells and an enchanted dagger that finished it off. But the way the lich still grasped at life before crumbling into nothing struck a chord I didn’t realize was there. I couldn’t stop crying for a while. Everything felt so detached after that.

The last few days I’ve been losing sleep trying to figure out who it may have been. Not a lot came up. It was probably a priest that volunteered to stay behind to protect the ruins from Alessian invaders. The fact that they held out for so long amazes me.

I’m still at a loss as to why I felt so sad after it finally died. I don’t think I’ll ever know.

In other news, I finally talked to Marisol about what happened. We must have talked for hours. The short story is that she never wanted things to go that far in the first place. I took it too far. There wasn’t a lot I could say to that so I just left. I think that relationship is completely severed and unsalvageable now. Unfortunately I still do have to show up to the printing press every Sundas and Turdas though and I still have some acolyte duties every once in a while. I just feel like absolute shit about the entire thing.

Regardless, I’m glad things are looking up for you, Vilkas.

\--Valleri

**4E 193 20th of Hearth Fire**

**Valleri Hayn**

I became a member of the Circle last night. There was a whole ritual to it and everything. Ysra came into Whiterun that afternoon. I honestly can’t remember the last time I talked to my mother. She warned me not to go through with it. I’m not Jergen though so everything should be fine, right? The change was noticeable right away. Everything became clearer and clearer until it felt like the world was turned all the way on. There’s no stopping it. The worst part though is the constant clawing in my chest as though something will burst out at any moment. I think I have to just push it down for as long as I can then I’ll just get used to it. But how long can that really last? I’m terrified to find the answer to that question.

I did the right thing though, right? 

**\--** Vilkas

**4E 193 21st of Frost Fall**

**Vilkas**

Are you okay, Vilkas? That last letter was strangely unnerving. Can’t say I’m surprised that Ysra tried to talk you out of it. But this is what you’ve been working towards your whole life, right?

The clawing sensation you’re feeling doesn't seem right to me either. Ask Kodlak about it. He’ll probably know more. All I can assume is that just getting used to it doesn’t seem great either. And even if you do start to panic, you’re not Jergen. You said it yourself.

Vilkas, you just went through a major life changing transformation, so try to take it easy. Take things slowly. If it gets too bad, maybe take a break for a while.

It's been more than a year since we’ve seen each other and I’m sure there’s an extra bed in the guard bunk house.

\--Valleri

**4E 194 4th of Second Seed**

**Vilkas**

It’s been months since I heard from you. I’m not sure if my last letter arrived, if yours keep getting lost, or if you’ve forgotten. I don't know which one of those is worse. I don’t really want to think about it.

Your last letter from months and months ago was concerning. I just want to know that you’re okay. Send me a page with scribbles on it for all I care. At least I’ll know you’re still alive. If something terrible happens because of your lycanthropy it's up to you if you want to tell me, but maybe I can help. I don’t know how, but maybe.

Even if you do forget to write back, I want you to know that sometimes I still think of you. We’re friends right? I hope so. It feels as though we’ve lost that relationship though, so I can’t say for certain anymore.

Write if you can.

\--Valleri

Pressing down on the corners, Valleri folded the parchment as neatly as she could before sealing the letter closed with wax. Despite every instinct, this was the last letter she planned on sending to Jorrvaskr. She’d already sent three without any response over the last few months. If she said something to destroy her relationship with Vilkas, Valleri didn’t know. The Imperial woman couldn’t stand thinking about it. She didn’t want to lose another friend. But unlike Marisol, there was no reason for Vilkas to stop communicating over nothing.

There was no rhyme or reason to it and that drove her mad.

The parchment hit the desk top with a flap. Valleri leaned back in her chair, glancing at the darkening sky outside her window. She’d have to hand the letter off to a courier in the morning.

She sighed, thinking of the few letters from Vilkas she kept over the years. Most of them were faded and yellowed. Valleri kept them in her desk drawer along with some other mementos. Closing her eyes, Valleri sighed, mind fixating on the memory the day they were caught in the rain at Ysra’s cabin. 

Suddenly flustered, Valleri ruffled her hair and clattered out of her seat. She wasted no time falling into her bed. There were things she had to do in the morning and focusing on the past wasn’t going to help her fall asleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof its been a long while since I posted. writing this chapter felt like pulling teeth a bit. I'm not used to writing letters so it certainly was a challenge. the next chapter is the beginning of act two so to say and I can't wait to start writing!


	11. Chapter Ten: Unexpected Visitors

**4E 195 Second Seed**

Ships came into Anvil harbor at all times of the day and night. When things were quiet, Valleri Hayn enjoyed spending time at the docks, watching the ships sail by any time of the day. She would dip her feet in the water and close her eyes and just listen. Every once in a while, the young woman found herself humming quietly. Mornings like that passed languidly. And before she knew it, it was time for Valleri to go. 

This particular morning, Valleri watched a merchant ship pull away from the dock. One of the sailors dropped a length of rope into the waves accidentally, eliciting yells from his friends. Valleri stared at them with mild curiosity. 

“I’ll never understand how you keep waking up early.”

Valleri slid over to let a sleepy Redguard man sit next to her. He took a drag off of a pipe he was holding before offering it to his friend. Valleri spoke after blowing a haphazard puff of smoke and brushing some hair away from her face, “It’s getting hot. Makes it hard to sleep.”

“And come Mid Year, you’ll be used to it.”

“Exactly, Lex. Exactly,” Valleri droned with a smirk. She handed the pipe back to Lexius. The merchant ship Valleri was watching so intently disappeared out of the harbor. “What time did Alastaros want us to swing by?”   


“Just this afternoon. I think he wanted to have lunch with all of us. We can talk about the new site and move your shit out of the book room.”

Valleri furrowed her eyebrows with discontent, “Rude.”

“Well its not as though you live there,” Lexius chuckled to himself. Valleri could only roll her eyes. “What’s the name of the new place we’re heading to?”

“Garlas Malatar.”   


“You know what it means?”   


Valleri tilted her head with a grumble, “I couldn’t tell you right off the bat.” The grimace on Valleri’s face deepened as she thought on Lexius’ question further. “I wrote it down somewhere though. Alastaos thought it had to do something with Saint Alessia. They all do to some extent though, so why bother making the distinction?”   


“Did you ask Alastaros about it?”   
  
“I did. He said he didn’t really have a clue either and I shouldn’t be too worried,” the woman explained. She snatched Lexius’ pipe back and took a long drag. “The Synod is going to get a long note about it in the forward of our prelim report.”   


“Not unless Alastaros cuts it.”   


A smile finally came to the Imeprial’s face. “You know he won’t. I’ve put stupider shit in there and the lazy asses at the University gloss right over it.”

“You’re not wrong,” Lexius mused to himself. Valleri handed him the pipe back, making his grin grow just a touch brighter. “It’s Turdas right?”

Valleri groaned as she let her shoulders droop. Forcing herself to look up, Valleri’s gaze was now following a skiff coming to dock with a hull full of fish. Shaking her head, Valleri slowly got up from her seat and put her shoes back on. “You’re absolutely right. I really wish it wasn’t though.”

“I’ve been telling you for years now to quit the chapel gig, Val. It’s not like you’re friends with Marisol any more. What’s even keeping you there?”   


“After Balin left, I’m one of the only ones who can work the press. I’ll have to train a few of the new recruits before I can leave and that won’t even be possible until Hearth Fire. Besides being cooped up in the basement doesn’t mean I’m going to be running into Lady Ferro any time soon.”

Lexius shrugged, “Well, don't complain too much then. I’ll see around lunch?”   


Valleri said nothing, waving as she walked off. The docks were busier now than when she first came to sit down. Off in the distance she saw fishing boats and merchant ships and the occasional ferry sailing away to one of the islands off the Gold Coast. Valleri pushed past sailors and dock workers and the occasional legionnaire until she reached the gate leading to the city proper. 

City streets were calm in comparison. They always were. It made for a quick trek back to the chapel in the residential district. The young Imepail waved to the high priestess, an older woman by the name of Anya, before descending into the cool basement where the printing press was kept.

Valleri paused at the bottom of the stairs with a sigh, reading a notice on the door, detailing the bulletin she had to typeset for the Sundas service. She tore the notice down and went on inside. Type setting was the first step of the printing process and it was also the part she hated most. But still, it had to be done. It was her fault for volunteering in the first place. Valleri tried to focus as she pulled a window open to let the fresh air in, but thoughts of the new expedition continued to swirl in her mind.

Sighing one final time, Valleri rolled up her sleeves and got to work. At least she only had to last until lunch time.

…

Travelling by sea was not always for the faint of heart. Even if it wasn’t storming constantly, small swells would put even the most stalwart person off their lunch. Sometimes being on the sea for a few days would help a person acclimate but for some, even that didn’t help.

Had Vilkas actually been aware of how sick the sea could make someone, he definitely wouldn’t have travelled by boat. The ride from Solitude to Anvil was much longer than he thought, even with the stop in Stro M’kai. Living in a landlocked tundra didn’t do him any favors either. His week and half at sea was hell. He hadn’t been able to hold down food at all and the constant waves made him nauseous. The next time he had to travel across the Empire, Vilkas would take a land based route even if it did lengthen the trip by a few days.

For now though, he didn't feel so bad.

The Nord leaned over the railing to take a better look at the scenery the ship was passing by. He was used to dark talus mountain sides filled with evergreens rising hundreds of feet above him. It was always dark, cold, and rainy. Foreboding may have been a good word.

But now, Vilkas was amazed to find that Gold Coast was accurately named. The cliffs were made up of beige stone lined with soft, green grasses. Every once in a while the cliffs would descend onto yellow sandy beaches. Low growing trees and bushes poked out of the hills sporadically. 

He’d heard a little bit about what the Gold Coast was like years ago, but he never really thought it'd look so welcoming. Perhaps he was just biased. Skyrim was a comparably chaotic landscape.

Vilkas turned when he heard a friend coming to lean on the railing with him. Rostam, a Redguard sailor with long coily hair pulled back with a headband, waved when he saw Vilkas look up. “No matter how hard I try, I can’t ever seem to sneak up on you!”   


“Trust me, Rostam, that’s almost impossible,” the Nord muttered with a disinterested shrug.   


“One day,” the sailor mused half to himself. “I don’t have a lot of time to try though. We’re almost to Anvil.” Rostam smiled at Vilkas’ usual low hum of acknowledgement before he continued. “Are you hopping onto another boat once we get to port?”   


“No, I’m staying there for a while.”

“Oh? For work?”   


“There’s a friend there I haven’t seen in a few years. Besides I didn’t really know where else to go.”   


“Good enough reason to stay I guess. I’m sort of in the same boat!” Rostam laughed. “I’m seeing an Ayleid researcher who lives there for work. Things are going well, so I try to pop by as often as I can to see him.”   


Vilkas felt himself tense up and gripped tighter on the railing. He narrowed his eyes as he looked back to his friend. “Is his name Lexius by any chance?”   


Rostam hesitated, eyes going wide, “Yeah. How did you know?”   


“Rostam! You lazy son of bitch, get over here! You don’t want us to run into a reef, do ya?”

With a groan the sailor slumped his shoulders. “We’ll have to finish this conversation later when we dock up,” Rostam muttered before striding across the deck to get to work. Wordlessly, Vilkas watched him for a few moments before looking to the coastline ahead of him.

In the distance, Vilkas saw the hazy outlines of a city on the horizon. It would still be an hour or two before the buildings would come into view. Still the young Nordic man felt his stomach turn to lead. 

Recent memories of his last few days in Skyrim came rushing back the more his gaze lingered on the city. They’d been dark but Vilkas didn’t even entertain the thought of leaving Whiterun until just before he left. But Kodlak had a message he needed to send. It just happened to coincide with Vilkas’ sudden need for escape. 

As horrible as being on the boat made him feel physically, the trip did make the Nord feel a little better. Until now. Now he just felt more unsure.

Attempting to push the thoughts to the back of his mind, Vilkas descended below deck to the bunkroom he was borrowing. The only good way not to think about anything was to sleep it off. Besides, Rostam said he still had a few hours. 

…

It was the sudden crash that woke him up. The entire ship reverberated and the sound of the crash -- it sounded more like a large bump actually-- didn’t exactly instill confidence. Despite the supposed tragedy, Vilkas rose from his bunk slowly with a groan. His sleep was fitful and this certainly didn’t help. 

Groggily, he climbed the ladder to the upper deck. Vilkas had to squint as he rushed to find Rostam. He was still rubbing his eyes when he spoke to his friend, “What in the world happened?”   


Rostam turned around with a large grin on his face. “We’re here! Welcome to the beautiful city of Anvil, held hostage by sailors and legion men alike!”

After a final rub of his eyes, Vilkas took his glimpse at Anvil. And for what felt like minutes, he couldn’t tear his eyes away. 

The city docks were bustling with more activity than the entirety of Whiterun on a good day. There were people everywhere, hauling crates and barrels to and from ships. As Rostam suggested, they were mostly sailors and soldiers, but every once in a while, Vilkas would catch a glimpse of a guard or a townsperson. 

But it wasn’t just the people that held him in awe. The city was made up of light beige stucco walls and orange tile roofs. Even the buildings that lined the dock were made up of the same materials, as though the city streets had seeped out of the walls. From the little that Vilkas saw from the deck of the ship, the streets and buildings were surrounded by greenery. 

Vilkas breathed in deeply, nerves growing tenser the more he stared. 

“You okay over there, friend?” Rostam asked. He placed a hand on Vilkas’ shoulder, making the Nord jump and pull away. The sailor grimaced, “Oh, sorry.”

“Yeah, no. I’m fine. Just…”   


“Nervous?”   


Finally, Vilkas felt himself go just a little loose. A slight smile came to his lips as he spoke, “That’s one word for it. Pretty happy I’ll be on solid land though.”   


“After seeing how green you were the first few days you were here, I couldn’t be more sure about that. You better go get your stuff. The captain doesn't like it passengers linger when we have cargo on board.”

“Right,” Vilkas mumbled as he went back to the lower deck. Vilkas didn’t bring a lot with him. Just some spare clothes and a few travel documents. Armor and weapons he could pick along the way if he needed to. But the most important thing he brought with him was a closed face, gilded helm flanked by intricate wings. Vilkas checked the helmet once over before pushing it to the bottom of his pack and leaving the lower deck.

Rostam called out to him as Vilkas made his way to the dock, “Hey, Vilkas!”   


“Yeah?”   


“Hit me up for a drink after you get settled!”

Wordlessly, Vilkas nodded his head and descended the gangplank to mostly solid land. It was hard not to get lost in the sea of people. Immediately, Vilkas realized it was hot too. Almost the entirety of his back was drenched in sweat. Maybe it was a mistake coming this far south. 

It took him a few minutes longer than he expected to reach the city gate. With a sigh, Vilkas paused. He was lost. 

Across the main street going through town was a person armored in a maroon jerkin. Vilkas took a deep breath before approaching them. The guard took a step back when they saw Vilkas. “Oh gods! What happened to you?”   


Vilkas narrowed his eyes, “Nothing. Why?”

“You look like a lobster!”

Vilkas breathed in sharply, “Look, can you help me or not?”   


“Yeah, fine. What did you want?”

“I’m looking for a man named Uriel Hayn.”   


The guard stared back at him for a solid second. “You mean the Captain?”

“Uh, yes. That’s him,” Vilkas muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. The longer he stood there, the more he felt a familiar clawing sensation in his chest. He hated that feeling and standing around while the guard pondered an answer wasn’t making it any better.

“The Captain’s already busy today. What’s your business with him?”   


Again Vilkas hesitated. “Family friend.”   


“Another one? For Mara’s sake, how many of you are there?” The guard pinched the bridge of their nose, “Look, just go see his wife. And get something for your sunburn while you’re at it. You’ll be peeling all week.” 

“Can you at least point me in a direction?”   


“Yeah, fine,” the guard moaned. “Just keep going west down the street here until you get to the residential district. You can’t miss the Hayn house. It's covered in plants.”

“That’s… helpful,” Vilkas mumbled under his breath. He watched the guard shrug with indifference before walking off with a scowl on their face. Rolling his eyes, Vilkas continued to his new destination. The directions he had were exactly clear though.

The city streets weren’t nearly as busy as the docks, feeling eerily quiet. What he assumed was the residential district was dominated by a chapel made of white stone, blinding in the sunlight. Tall, green stained glass window obscured any view into the interior of the chapel. The whole building seemed out of place in the middle of the colorful town. 

Vilkas’ eyes drifted from the pompous chapel at his right to some of the houses on the other side of the street. Vilkas grimaced. Lo and behold, there was a house across from the chapel. Or at least he thought he saw a house behind a myriad of plants. That was it. That was the house the guard told him to find. 

Taking in a deep breath in to calm his already fried nerves, the young Nord made a beeline to the house. There wasn’t any point in postponing the inevitable. Still, there was a part of him that wanted to run back to Whiterun.

Vilkas knocked the door harder than he meant to. It took another moment before he heard light footed steps approaching. With each second that passed by, the sicker he felt. Before Vilkas knew it, the door opened to reveal an older woman with murky brown eyes staring back at him.

The woman’s voice was almost bell-like, “May I help you? “ 

The Nord's voice cracked loudly when he addressed the woman standing in the door, “This is the Hayn residence, right?”

Her eyes narrowed as she looked back at him for another second. “Yes, it is. You don’t look so good. Come in, I’ll get you something for your burn.” She ushered him inside before Vilkas could say anything. She led through the house to a kitchen, surprisingly not filled with plants like the rest of the house. 

“Sit tight here. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

The woman disappeared into the hallway and Vilkas let himself lean into the chair. Without really thinking about it, Vilkas began to chastise himself. He found the house, but Uriel wasn't anywhere to be seen. The more he thought about, the more Vilkas was convincing himself to drop off Kodlak’s message and leave town as quickly as he could. It felt cowardly, but that’s where he was.

His eyes drifted across to the clutter on the table. There was hardly a free space on the tabletop between old planters, books, and empty mugs. Vilkas sifted through the clutter only to find a years old journal with a deep green cover. He flipped through the pages, admiring the strange characters and notes that filled them.

“I apologize for the mess. Things have been busy at the house recently and I haven’t had much time to clean,” the woman stammered as she came back. Her gaze landed on her guest, making her pause for another moment and cross her arms,“I see you found my daughter’s journal. She leaves her things all over the house--”

“Valleri, right?”   


The woman’s eyes went wide, “You know Valleri?”

“Only for a brief while a few years ago.”   


Breathing in deeply, the woman took a seat at the table next to him. “I should have asked earlier. What’s your name?”   


“Vilkas.”

“Surname?” Vilkas shook his head and watched the woman mull over her words for a long second. “I think I remember hearing your name before. I can’t say for certain though.” The Nord cringed to himself. What she said seemed reasonable after disappearing for more than a year.Vilkas stared at the table, almost scared to look the woman in the eyes. The woman must have noticed and smiled as warmly as she could. “Why did you come to Anvil in the first place? Its a long trip from Skyrim.”

“The Harbinger of the Companions, Kodlak, had a message for your husband.”   


The woman grimaced, “You should have sent a letter. Coming directly is too much a hassle for someone from Skyrim.”   


Vilkas paused wordlessly, eyes going wide, “It’s hard to get things in and out of the province if it's not official. And from the nature of this message it's not something anybody would want to send in an official capacity.”

In an instant, the woman’s face turned to stone. Her eyes drifted to the window at the back of the room. With a sigh, she spoke, “I suppose we should wait for Uriel to return from the castle this evening. You can stay here until then and I’ll treat your burn.” 

Vilkas said nothing more as he watched her go back to the hallway. He exhaled long and hard. Some of the pressure he talked himself into earlier melted away.

“My name is Ulia by the way,” the woman finally muttered as she came back with a bundle of aloe leaves. Vilkas watched with fascination as she peeled the outer membrane back to reveal the sticky insides. “Your skin is terribly fair. I’m surprised you didn't burn more.”

“I’m surprised I didn’t notice it earlier,” the young man muttered half to himself. The corners of Ulia lips curled into a grin.

“You’ll be fine.”

“I know.”

…

“And how many levels are there in Garlas Malatar?”

“No one knows for certain. Although that’s the most exciting part isn’t it? There's so much potential at this new site!”

“And we still have a few weeks before we start in earnest, dear.”

“Valleri and Lexius can start with mapping the upper level while we set up camp and evaluate the exterior ruins.”

“Don’t you remember five years ago when Morris’ team did that in the Imperial Reserve? Half of the apprentices died in a gas chamber they accidentally set off because no one experienced was looking out.”

“Bah! Those fools couldn’t have explored the archmage's wine cellar for all I care. I trust these two,” Alastaros exclaimed, grandly gesturing to the two young adults sitting across from him, “enough to get the job done.”

Skeeva narrowed his eyes as they darted between Lexius and Valleri. Finally, the Imperial woman shrugged, “It's not like I haven’t done it on my own before, Skeeva.”

“You're not wrong,” the Argonain relented. “It just seems to be moving faster than we expected.”

Alastaros shook his head with a fair amount of exasperation. “I think that may only be because the Synod are tired of hearing about Beldaburo.” The old elf shot Valleri a grin, “I’m surprised you’re not tired of Beldaburo already.”

Valleri laughed, “What can I say? It's like an old friend by now.”

“If you say so, Valleri. If you say so.” Alastaros paused and stole a glance out of the window. The sun was already beginning to set, turning the sky yellow. “Ah! I didn’t realize it was already this late.”

“Almost time for dinner.”

“You’re absolutely right, Skeeva,” Alastaros grinned, giving his husband a pat on the hand. Getting up from his armchair, Alastaos continued to speak. “Valleri, I have some old transcripts I found in the capital last time I was there. If you happen to find anything interesting regarding Garlas Malatar, take note of it.”

Lexius rose up from his spot in the back, “I’ll help you carry it back to your place.”

Valleri narrowed her eyes, “Its fine, Lex.”

“Its really not. Alastraros brought back at least two crates of documents.”

The Impeial’s eyes went wide. “You’re kidding?”

Shaking his head, the Redgaurd led Valleri into one of the back rooms. Valleri paused when she saw the two large wooden crates filled to the brim with old scrolls. Her eyes darted between the crates and her friend. Lexius rolled his eyes with a smik.

Valleri poked her head out of the side room and addressed Alastaros, “Are any of these already translated.”

“None at all,” he laughed.

“You are aware that this is going to take me weeks, right?”

“Did I say you had a deadline, Valleri?”

“Well, no.”

The smile on Alastaros’ face grew. “Then read to your heart's content!”

Valleri shook his head with fond exasperation and turned back to Lexius. “You still up for helping me carry these back to my house?”

“Do you know what your mother is making for dinner?”

“No, not at all,” the young woman mumbled. She took the smaller crate from the top and took a moment to readjust it so she wouldn’t have any trouble lugging it down the street. She continued to speak with just a touch of tension in her voice, “Though this is as good a time as any to check.”

“Bribe accepted,” Lexius laughed, picking up the second crate. He let Valleri walk in front of him to set the pace. She kicked the door open and the cool evening air rushed into the manor house. Valleri paused for a moment, letting her eyes drift upwards. She hummed quietly to herself. The sky wouldn’t be dark for another hour or two.

Lexius coughed out loud behind her, making the younger woman groan and continue back to the house. The walk was only five or so minutes before Valleri saw the verdant façade of the front yard. Suddenly, Valleri paused.

In the kitchen window was Ulia and Marco and someone who looked familiar. Valleri couldn’t quite remember. She gulped and continued to the door.

Motioning for Lexius to stay quiet, the Imperial stood next to the open door and listened. In the background she heard her mother laughing as Marco went on and on. But that wasn’t what caught her attention.

It was the deep baritone voice that answered her brother, smoother than it was years ago last she heard it. It made her stomach plummet

Valleri took a sharp breath in before she noticed Lexius staring at her through narrowed eyes. He titled his head and gestured to the door. She leaned close to the wall and shook her head, attempting to communicate the sudden apprehension she felt. Without any warning, Lexius’ eyes went wide. The sight made Valleri’s stomach sink another level.

Turning around, Valleri saw her brother standing in the doorway, staring right back at her and Lexius. The boy smirked. “You didn’t steal those this time, did you?”

Blanching in horror, Valleri stumbled over her words, “What? Steal? What, no. Of course not. Look, Marco, can you just answer one question for me? Who the fuck is in the kitchen right now?”

Marco shrugged with indifference, “I dunno. Some Nord came down from Whiterun with a message for dad.”

That’s when the panic finally settled in. Valleri felt her skin raise with goosebumps as she stood in the doorway debating her next course of action. The voices in the kitchen only grew louder, making her heart race.

“Marco? Is everything okay?” Came Ulia’s voice from inside.

Shaking like a leaf, Valleri glared at her brother. “Don’t say anything to mom. Marco, I swear!”

“And what do I get out of it?” The boy asked with an arched brow. Valleri’s face went red as she tried to answer. Marco nodded his head with a mischievous smirk. “Nothing. Valleri’s home, though!”

In a matter of seconds, Valleri’s face went from beet red to white. Lexius laughed behind her. “Val, I don’t get it. Why in Oblivion are you so jumpy all of a sudden?”

“Lexius,” Valleri started, shaking her head, “You have no fucking clue.”

“Valleri?”

The Imperial almost didn’t want to turn around when she heard him call out her name. Scrunching her eyes closed for a split second, Valleri took in a deep, calming breath and spun on her heel to face him.

Exactly as she expected, Vilkas was standing in the hallway. He was still so much taller than she was, and he hadn’t shaved in days, and he had a painful looking sunburn. But those clear grey eyes and surety was just the same. The Nord stared at her like he found something he’d been looking for for years. 

And Valleri wanted to hug him as tightly as she could. But more than that, she wanted to break his arm with a rock to stab him in the guts more. The wave of confusing emotions only raged more and more as her stomach continued to do flips. Valleri felt herself go dizzy.

The last scrap of her will to live left the young woman’s body when she heard Lexius behind her. “Oh shit, he’s hot. Damn!”

Vilkas’ brows knitted together in confusion. “Valleri?”

The Imperial woman couldn’t respond before Ulia came out of the kitchen finally, completely unaware of what was happening. “Oh, Marco was ight. Why aren’t you in the house?”

Valleri tore her eyes away from Vilkas only to realize Marco had already run away. She promised herself to give him hell later. It was the least he deserved. Giving her mom a faltering smile, Valleri tried to answer, “I am so sorry.”

Everyone seemed to be looking at her, making Valleri’s skin crawl. She shook her head and turned back around.

“Where are you going?”

Only one word came to Valleri’s mind. “Work!”

… 

Vilkas only looked on with confusion as Valleri left as soon as she came. The Redgaurd who followed her only sighed with slight disappointment before turning back to him and Ulia. He pushed into the house and dropped his crate of scrolls onto the floor with a thud.

Ulia offered Vilkas a reassuring grin. “She’s usually not like that. We must have caught her off guard tonight.” The older woman paused and pointed to the new guest. “This is Lexius. He works with Valleri.”

Vilkas nodded as Lexius extended a hand. “Nice to meet you. I think Valleri told me a little bit about you a few years ago. Sorry about the comment.”

“It's… no problem,” Vilkas mumbled mostly to himself. He was still staring in the direction Valleri went. Maybe he was still hoping she’d come back.

“Lexius, do you know when she’ll be back?”

“No idea. Honestly, she’ll probably spend the night in Alastaros’ guest room.”

“Does he really have to run her that ragged?”

“Look, bring that up with the old man, not me.”

“If you say so, Lexius.”

“What were you planning on making for dinner tonight anyways, ma’am?”

“Always with the food. I feel like my apothecary is more of a restaurant these days.”

Ulia and Lexius continued their conversation in the kitchen. Vilkas was too distracted to listen. Valleri only saw him once and couldn’t stand being near him. He knew it wasn’t exactly his fault this time, but that didn’t exactly stop the guilt. 

“Vilkas?”

The Nord hummed as he turned around and saw Lexius poking his head out of the kitchen. “Don’t worry about Val. She’s just spooked is all. If I were a gamblign man, I’d be certain she’ll be back in the morning. Until then, come eat with us.”

Vilkas mustered a smile as he went to join his new acquaintances. The smell of food was only beginning to waft out of the kitchen, making him feel a lot surer of himself.

“You’re absolutely right.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Compared to the last chapter, this update feels quick! Not a bad thing though when I think about it. its full of surprises, so that can never be bad! I'm heading into spring break soon, so hopefully I'll get more writing done. Anyways,
> 
> Thanks for Reading!!!! \^_^/


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